TWENTY SERMONS 

PREACHED BEFORE 

THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, 

In the Year M.DCCC.XXI. 

AT 

THE LECTURE 

FOUNDED BY 

THE LATE REV. JOHN HULSE, 

of st. John's college. 



HULSEAN LECTURES for 1821. 



ON THE 

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY,, 

AS THEY WERE 

STATED AND ENFORCED 

IN THE 

DISCOURSES OF OUR LORD: 

COMPRISING A CONNECTED TIE W 

OF THE CLAIM! WHICH JESUS ADVANCED, 

OF THE 

ARGUMENTS BY AVHICH HE SUPPORTED THEM, 

AND OF 

HIS STATEMENTS RESPECTING THE 
CAUSES, PROGRESS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF INFIDELITY. 

By JAMES CLARKE FRANKS, M. A. 

CHAPLAIN OF TRINITY COLLEGE. 



CAMBRIDGE: 

Printed by I. Smith, Printer to the University ; 

AND SOLD BY MESSRS. RIYINGTON, AND J. HATCHARD, LONDON ; 
DEIGHTON & SONS, NICHOLSON & SON, AND THE 
OTHER BOOKSELLERS IN CAMBRIDGE ; 
V \ D PARKER, OXFORD. 



18 21 



TO THE REVEREND 

CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, D.D 

MASTER OF TRINITY COLLEGE, 
AND LATE VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY ; 

TO THE 

Very Rev. JAMES WOOD, D.D. 

MASTER OF ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, AND DEAN OF ELY J 
AND TO THE 

Rev. JAMES HENRY MONK, B. D. 

PROFESSOR OF GREEK, 
AND FELLOW AND TUTOR OF TRINITY COLLEGE ; 

S>uvt)Mng ®tumt$ 

OF THE 

LECTURE FOUNDED BY THE REV. JOHN HULSE, 
THE FOLLOWING LECTURES 

PREACHED BY THEIR APPOINTMENT 
ARE 

GRATEFULLY AND RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 

BY THE AUTHOR. 



" CLAUSES from the WILL of the Rev. JOHN HULSE, 
" late of Elworth, in the county of Chester, clerk, 
" deceased, dated the twenty-first day of July, in the 
" year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and 
" seventy-seven, expressed in the words of the Tes- 
" tator, as he, in order to prevent mistakes, thought 
" proper to draw and write the same himself, and 
*- directed that such clauses should every year be 
" printed, to the intent that the several persons, whom 
" it might concern and be of»service to, might know 
" that there were such special donations or endow- 
" me'nts left for the encouragement of Piety and 
" Learning, in an age so unfortunately addicted to 
" Infidelity and Luxury, and that others might be 
" invited to the like charitable, and, as he humbly 
" hoped, seasonable and useful Benefactions." 



CLAUSE I. 

<e And from and after the end, expiration, or other 
determination of the said term of ninety-nine years, deter- 
minable as aforesaid, I give and devise the same premises 
to and to the use of the University of Cambridge for 
ever, for the purposes herein after expressed, that is to 
say, I will and direct that the clear rents, issues, and 
profits of the same premises in Newton and Middlewich 
shall be divided into six equal parts, of which four such 

h 



viii 



sixth parts shall be paid or given to the person, being 
a member of the said University, to be from time to time, 
under the directions of this my Will, adjudged to the 
author of the best Dissertation on the subjects herein- 
after for that purpose appointed. One other such sixth 
part shall be given or paid every year, as an augmentation 
of his salary, and for his own use, to the person, being 
also a member of the said University, to be from time 
to time appointed to the Lectureship herein after founded, 
and who is to preach annually twenty Sermons agreeably 
to this my -Will." 

CLAUSE II. 

" And I do direct and declare that the said term of 
one hundred years is so vested in them the said Ralph 
Leeke, John Smith, and Thomas Vawdrey, upon further 
trust, that they, or the survivors, or survivor of them, 
or the executors, administrators, or assigns of such sur- 
vivor, do, and shall, by and out of the rents and profits of 
the premises in Clive, which shall arise previous to the 
determination of the said term of one hundred years, 
and no longer, annually pay the sum of sixty pounds, 
(exclusive of such augmentation as herein before and 
herein after is mentioned,) on Saint John the Evangelist's 
day following the preaching of the twenty Lectures or 
Sermons herein after mentioned, to such learned and 
ingenious Clergyman in the said University of Cambridge, 
of the degree of Master of Arts, and under the age of 
forty years, as shall be duly chosen or elected at the time, 
and by the persons herein after mentioned and appointed 
for that purpose, as a salary for preaching the before- 
mentioned Sermons or Lectures, on the days, and upon 
the subjects herein after more particularly mentioned and 
prescribed, on the determination of the said term of 
one hundred years." 



ix 



CLAUSE III. 

" And upon further trust that they the said Ralph 
Leeke, John Smith, and Thomas Vawdrey, or the sur- 
vivors, or survivor of them, his executors, administrators, 
or assigns, do, and shall pay and apply the residue of the 
rents, and profits of the premises in Clive, which shall 
arise previous to the determination of the said term of one 
hundred years, and no longer, and which are herein (or by 
a grant or rentcharge of ten pounds per annum, dated 
the fourth day of November, one thousand seven 
hundred and seventy three, by me made and enrolled in 
the High Court of Chancery, for certain perpetual cha- 
ritable uses in the aforesaid townships of Middlewich, 
and Sandbach) otherwise disposed of, to and for the use 
of the person and persons, who shall from time to time 
preach the before named twenty Lectures, in augmentat- 
ion of the salary herein before appointed for such 
Lecturer." 

CLAUSE IV. 

" And from and after the end, or other determination 
of the said term of one hundred years, determinable as 
aforesaid, I give and devise all and every my said mes- 
suages, lands, tythes, and hereditaments in Clive aforesaid, 
to the said University of Cambridge for ever, for the 
purposes herein after mentioned and contained, that is to 
say, I will and direct that the annual rents, tythes, and 
profits thereof shall be divided into six equal parts or 
shares, and disposed of in manner following. " 

ce And first, it was always my humble and earnest 
desire and intention, that the following donation and de- 
vise should be founded, as much as possible, on the plan 
of that profoundly learned and successful inquirer into 
Nature, and most religious adorer of Nature's God, 
I mean the truly great and good (as well as honourable) 



X 



Robert Boyle, Esquire ; who has added so much lustre, 
and done equal service, both by his learning and his life,, 
to his native country, and to human nature, and to the 
cause of Christianity and truth." 

" To the promoting in some degree a design so worthy 
of every reasonable creature, I direct that four parts out 
of six of the last mentioned rents, tythes, and profits, 
to arise from the premises (exclusive of such augmenta- 
tions as herein before and herein after are mentioned) 
shall be paid, on Saint John the Evangelist's Day fol- 
lowing the preaching of the Lectures or Sermons after- 
mentioned, annually to such learned and ingenious 
clergyman in the said University, of the degree of Master 
of Arts, and under the age of forty years, as shall be duly 
chosen or elected on Christmas-day, or within seven days 
after, by the Vice- Chancellor there for the time being a , 
and by the Master or Head of Trinity College, and the 
Master of Saint John's College, or by any two of them, 
in order to preach twenty Sermons in the whole year : 
that is to say, ten Sermons in the following spring, in 
Saint Mary's great Church in Cambridge, namely, one 
Sermon either on the Friday morning, or else on Sunday 
afternoon in every week, during the months of April, and 
May, and the two first weeks of June ; and likewise ten 
Sermons in the same Church, in the following autumn, 
either on the Friday morning, or else on Sunday afternoon 
in every week, during the months of September, and 
October, and during the two first weeks in November." 



a It is provided, in another clause of the Will, that if either 
the Master of Trinity, or the Master of St. John's be Vice- 
Chancellor, the Greek Professor shall be the third Trustee. — 
The clauses here printed are carefully specified for that purpose 
by Mr. Hulse, as well the preamble and conclusion of the extract, 
which is to be made by the Lecturer in conformity to his di- 
rections. 



XI 



" The subject of which discourses shall be as fol- 
loweth ; that is to say, the subject of five Sermons in the 
spring, and likewise of five Sermons in the autumn, shall 
be to shew the Evidence for Revealed Religion ; and to 
demonstrate, in the most convincing and persuasive man- 
ner, the truth and excellence of Christianity, so as to 
include not only the Prophecies and Miracles, general and 
particular, but also any other proper or useful arguments, 
whether the same be direct or collateral proofs of the 
Christian religion, which he may think fittest to discourse 
upon, either in general or particular, especially the col- 
lateral arguments, or else any particular article or branch 
thereof ; and chiefly against notorious Infidels, whether 
.Atheists, or Deists, not descending to any particular 
sects or controversies (so much to be lamented) amongst 
Christians themselves ; except some new and dangerous 
error, either of superstition, or enthusiasm, as of Popery 
or Methodism, or the like, either in opinion or practice, 
shall prevail ; in which case only it may be necessary for 
that time to write and preach against the same/' 

" Nevertheless, the Preacher of the ten Sermons, last 
mentioned^ to shew the truth and excellence of revealed 
religion, and the evidence of Christianity, may, at his own 
discretion, preach either more or fewer than ten Sermons 
on this great argument ; only provided he shall, in conse- 
quence thereof lessen or encrease the number of the 
other ten remaining Sermons, which are herein after di- 
rected to be on the more obscure parts of the Holy 
Scripture, in a due proportion, so as that he shall, every 
year, preach twenty Sermons on these subjects in the 
whole." 

' And as to the ten Sermons that remain, of which 
five are to be preached in the springs and five in the 
autumn, as before mentioned, the Lecturer or Preacher 
shall take for his subject some of the more difficult texts 
or obscure parts of the Holy Scriptures ; such, I mean. 



Xll 



as may appear to be more generally useful, or necessary to 
be explained, and which may best admit of such a com- 
ment or explanation, without seeming to pry too far into 
the profound secrets, or awful mysteries of the Almighty. 
And in all the said twenty Sermons, such practical ob- 
servations shall be made, and such useful conclusions 
added, as may best instruct and edify mankind." 

" The said twenty Sermons to be every year printed, 
and a new preacher to be every year elected, (except in 
the case of the extraordinary merit of the Preacher, when 
it may sometimes be thought proper to continue the same 
person for five or, at the most, for six years together, but 
for no longer term) nor shall he ever afterwards be again 
elected to the same duty. And I do direct, that the 
expence of printing the said Sermons shall be defrayed 
out of the said temporary stipend or salary of sixty 
pounds, with the augmentations first mentioned, or from 
the further provision hereby made, of the rents, tythes, 
and profits afterwards mentioned, for the said Lectures ; 
and the remainder of the same given to him." 

"And may the Divine blessing for ever go along with 
all my Benefactions ! And may the greatest and the best 
of Beings, by his all-wise Providence, and gracious in- 
fluence, make the same effectual to his own glory, and 
the good of my fellow-creatures !" 



* xiii 



" AN ABSTRACT of the heads or material parts" of the WILL 
of the Rev. John Hulse, relative to the two Scholarships, 
founded by him in St. John's College, and by him directed 
to be added to the conclusion of the foregoing clauses, " so 
that such Clergyman, or persons, whom the same may con- 
cern, may know that there are such endowments, of which 
they may claim and take the benefit, under the regulations, 
and with the qualifications, therein mentioned," 

The Scholars are to be " Undergraduates of St. John's 
College, who shall be born in the county Palatine of Chester." 
" Such Scholar is to be elected by the Master and a majority 
of the senior Fellows of the said College on Christmas-day, 
or in the first seven days after," and candidates are to 
have the preference, in the order, and with the limitations 
specified in the following extracts. 

1. — " The son of any Clergyman, who shall at any time 
officiate as Curate to the Vicar of Sandbach ; or next to him 
the son of any Vicar or Curate, who shall then live and offi- 
ciate in the parish of Middlewich, as the proper Minister or 
Curate of Middlewich ; or lastly of any Minister or Curate of 
the Chapel of WiUon, or who shall reside and live in the town 
ofNorthwich or Witten, or the adjacent townships of Castle 
Northwich and Wilmington, and shall do the duty of the said 
Chapel as the proper Minister of Witton (all of them in the 
said county of Chester)." 

2. " And in default of such persons, then the son of any 
other Clergyman, who (that is which son) shall be born in 
either of the said parishes of Sandbach or Middlewich, or in 
the said Chapelry of Middlewich, shall have the preference. 
And if none shall be admitted, then the son of any other 
Clergyman shall be preferred, who (that is which son) shall be 
born in the said county of Chester, and next in any of the 
four following counties of Stafford, Salop, Derby, or Lan- 
caster; or lastly, elsewhere in any other county or part of 
England, provided that it shall appear that the Clergyman 
who is father to such Scholar is not, if living, or, if dead, was 
not at the time of his death possessed of any spiritual pre- 
ferment of more than one hundred and forty pounds a year, 
clear income ; or whose income in every respect shall not 
exceed the clear yearly value of two hundred pounds in the 
whole." 

*6 



* xiv 

" But if no son of any Clergyman, so entitled as aforesaid, 
shall be elected into such Scholarship, the same shall be given 
to the son of some lay person, whose clear yearly income does 
not, if living, and, if dead, did not at the time of his death 
amount to more than two hundred pounds; and such son 
being born in the counties of Chester, Stafford, Salop, Derby, 
and Lancaster, the counties in that order having a preference; 
or lastly, elsewhere in England." 

" And such Scholar, whether the s on of a Clergyman, or 
Layman, to be elected in manner aforesaid, shall continue to 
enjoy this my benefaction until he shall take, or be of 
standing to take his tirst degree of Bachelor of Arts, unless 
some other person, being the son of some of the officiating 
ministers at some of the Churches or Chapels before mentioned, 
and otherwise qualified as aforesaid, and which qualification, 
had he been a member of the said College at the time the 
party in possession of the Scholarship had been elected, 
would have been entitled to the preference, shall be admitted 
a member of the said College; in which case the Scholar, 
who shall then be in possession, shall only hold the same for 
that year ; and the other, with a prior right, shall be elected 
to the same the year following. And I do appoint the 
Master and senior Fellows of St. John's College Trustees 
for the said Scholarships." 

One third part of the moiety of Mr. Hulse's estate in 
Sandbach and Bradwell is appropriated to each Scholar, after 
the death of certain annuitants. One only of the Scholarships 
is at present established. 



POSTSCRIPT. 

Perhaps it may not be amiss that the extracts from the 
Will should once be printed according to Mr. Hulse's first 
intentions. Future Lecturers may avail themselves of the 
liberty given them in a clause near the conclusion of his long 
and intricate Will, in which he permits the Lecturer to select 
and abridge the more material parts of the clauses printed 
above; though he still requires the insertion of those relating 
to the Hulsean Scholarships. The former extracts were 
ready to be struck off when the Author discovered the clause 
just mentioned. 



PREFACE. 



The object of this work is so fully explained in 
the second Lecture, and the series of subjects and 
texts, which form the table of Contents, will so 
clearly point out the Author's plan, that it will 
be unnecessary to detain the reader by any 
further remarks on those topics. He deems it, 
however, not inexpedient, to give some account 
of the origin of the present publication, both as 
it regards the form, in which it has been brought 
before the world, and the manner, in which it was 
first suggested to his own mind. 

The following Lectures were composed and 
delivered by the Author, in the capacity of Deputy 
to the Hulsean Lecturer, who was prevented, by 
indisposition, from proceeding to the discharge of 
his official duties, which commenced on the first 
day of April in the present year. — A notice being 
issued by the Trustees of the Lecture, dated 



xiv PREFACE. 

March 13, 1821, inviting persons to offer their 
services to fulfil the provisions of Mr. Hulse's 
Will, after such consideration as the interval 
between the 13th and 26th of March allowed, 
though with some hesitation, the Author finally 
announced his willingness to undertake the 
task. He has now to express his gratitude to 
those who entrusted to him, under such circum- 
stances, the duties of the Hulsean Lectureship, 
which are certainly more arduous than those of 
any similar institution; yet he has endea- 
voured to discharge them in the best manner 
he could. But he must now from the press 
repeat the request, which he made from the 
pulpit in his first Lecture,, that he may obtain 
such indulgence, as may be thought justly due 
to a work of this nature, composed and printed 
in less than nine months. It was undertaken 
amidst numerous ordinary engagements, and it 
has been pursued amidst various unavoidable, but 
unexpected interruptions, with a detail of which 
it is not necessary to trouble the reader, but 
which have caused the work to appear without 
that careful revision of so hasty a composition, 



PREFACE. 



XV 



which would have been exceedingly desirable. 
He could not, however, defer the publication of 
the work, and can therefore only say, 

" Emendaturus, si licuisset, erat." 

The hesitation of the Author, with respect to 
the undertaking-, was occasioned by the difficulty 
which he felt as to the method and arrangement 
in which so extensive a subject should be treated. 
Yet he was exceedingly desirous to avail' himself 
of such an opportunity to bring it forward, since 
it had been so highly satisfactory to himself, and, 
as he thought, was likely to be generally useful. — 
It was first suggested to his own mind, about two 
years ago, by reading to a sick parishioner the 
fifth chapter of St. John's Gospel; a complete 
analysis of w r hich is included in the following 
pages. The Author was at that time much 
astonished, and somewhat perplexed, to find that 
it contained a distinct enumeration and summary 
of the principal arguments in favour of Christ- 
ianity. In his subsequent reading of the Gospels, 
he was even more surprised to observe that they 

contained, in other parts,, so much on the same 

c 



XVI PREFACE. 

subject ; and he at length formed the opinion that 
a complete system of evidence might be formed 
in the very words of our Lord, and of the Sermons 
and Epistles of the New Testament a . In con- 
sequence of this, when preaching* before the 
University in December 1820, he stated his 
conviction that a work might be constructed upon 
the principle explained in the second of the fol- 
lowing Lectures, so as to place the subject of 
evidence in a point of view more intelligible, and 
more generally edifying, than the separate and 
abstract form, which it generally assumes. But, 
although he had even then formed the design to 
bring the subject forward, when he had fully 
digested and arranged it, he had not the slightest 
conception that he should have done it within 
a year from that time. And when the opportunity, 
of which he has been able to avail himself, 



a It was not until the Author had delivered several of the 
Lectures, that he met with Dr. Gerard's Dissertations on subjects 
relating to the genius and the evidences of Christianity. He was 
gratified to find that so sensible a writer had taken a view of the 
subject so nearly resembling that here given. Many other works 
have also touched upon it, but none, that the Author has seen, 
have completely and systematically exhibited it, 



PREFACE. Xvil 

occurred, it found him still more sensible than 
ever of the extent, as well as of the importance 
of the subject, in consequence of another perusal 
of the four Gospels with a special view to the 
consideration of it. He has done what he could 
to elucidate it, as far as they are concerned ; and 
all censure which this work may deserve must 
be directed against himself. He will contentedly 
submit, even to incur the charge of presumption 
for having ventured to undertake the following 
work, rather than that the subject should suffer 
in consequence of his unskilful management of it. 
If he has treated it with any tolerable degree of 
success, he thinks that it will appear that the 
subject of evidence is a topic of scriptural in- 
struction, and that it may be treated, if occasion 
require, in our parochial ministrations, in a way 
which is at once explanatory of Scripture, satis- 
factory to the believer, and applicable to practice. 

The Author has only further to request that 
the reader, whether, or not, he is satisfied with 
the statements and representations contained in 
this Volume, will at least borrow the hint which 



Xviii PREFACE. 

is given in it, and study for himself the discourses 
of our Lord, and the narrative which accompanies 
and illustrates those discourses. Those divine 
records will thereby receive a fresh light and 
importance, and he, who so reads them, cannot 
fail to receive both delight and satisfaction from 
the heavenly and comprehensive instructions and 
reasonings of our Lord himself. 

Trinity College, 
Dec. 21, 1821. 



CONTENTS. 



Introductory Lecture I. 

Human Frailty and Mortality the special Objects of God's 
promised Mercy. — Suitable provisions of the Gospel, 
more especially as they are noticed in the opening 
Statements of the Evangelist St. John. 

John i. 12 — 14. As many as received him, to them gave he power 
to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his 
name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 
nor of the will of man, but of God, And the Word was made 
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory 
as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and 
truth p. 1 

Introductory Lecture II. 

The Evangelic Records designed, according to St, Luke 
and St. John, to assure us of the certainty of the 
Gospel, by laying before us its evidence- — Their suffi- 
ciency for that end. — Nature and advantages of the 
view which they suggest ; and the plan of the follow- 
ing Lectures in illustration of it. 

Luke i. 1 — 4. Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set 
forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely 
believed among us, even as they delivered them unto its, which 
from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word ; 
it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of 
all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most 
excellent Theophilus, that thou rnightest know the certainty of 

those, things^ wherein thou hast been instructed . p. 27 

d 



XX 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 
Lectures III — V. 

STATEMENTS OF JESUS, RESPECTING HIS PRETENSIONS AND THE 
OBJECT OF HIS MISSION, WHICH PRECEDED HIS ACTUAL APPEAL 
TO THE EVIDENCES IN CONFIRMATION OF THEM. 

Lecture III. 

Our Lord's Conference with Nicodemus. 

John hi. 1 — 3. There was a man of the Pharisees, named 
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews ; the same came to Jesus by 
night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher 
come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou 
doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto 
him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, 
he cannot see the kingdom of God p. 53 

Lecture IV. 

Our Lord's teaching in Samaria and Galilee. — At what 
period., and for what reason., he began to argue in 
defence of his Mission. 

Matt. iv. 23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in 
their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and 
healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among 
the people ,. p. 82 

Lecture V. 

The Occasion of the Discourse recorded in St. John's 
fifth Chapter, and the Persons to whom it was ad- 
dressed. — Illustration and Analysis of the first portion 
of it. 

John v. 17 — 20. Jesus answered them, My Father worketh 
hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to 
kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said 
also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 

Then 



CONTENTS. 



XXI 



Then answered Jesus, and said unto them, Verily, verily, T say 
unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself , but what he seeth 
the Father do : for what things soever he doetli, these also doeth 
the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth 
him all things that himself doeth p. 104 

— 0 — 

PART II. 
Lectures VI— XVII. 

THE REASONINGS OF OUR LORD RESPECTING THE EVIDENCES TO 
WHICH HE APPEALED IN CONFIRMATION OF HIS CLAIMS. 



Lecture VI. 

Our Lord's recapitulation of his Claims connected with 
a reference to the presumption in their favour from his 
not seeking his own Will. 

John v. 30, 31. / can of mine own self do nothing ; as I hear y 
I judge ; and my judgement is just ; because I seek not mine 
own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I 
bear witness of myself , my witness is not true p. 129 



Lecture VII. 

Our Lord's reasonings, on the Evidence arising from the 
witness of John, addressed to the Rulers, to the 
Multitudes, to John's Disciples, and to his own. 

John v. 31 — 35. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not 
true. There is another that beareth witness of me ; and I know 
that the witness which he witnesseth o f me is true. Ye sent unto 
John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not 
testimony from man ; but these things I say, that ye might be 
saved. He was a burning and a shining light ; and ye were 
willing for a season to rejoice in his light p. 152 



xxn 



CONTENTS, 



Lecture VIII. 

Our Lord's Appeal to his Miracles as attesting his Divine 
Mission. 

John v. S6. But I have greater witness than that of John; for 
the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same 
works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent 
me p. 1 79 

Lecture IX. 

Our Lord's Appeal to his Miracles in proof of his 
Messiahship. 

Matt. xi. 2 — 6. Now when John had heard in the prison the 
works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, 
Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another ? Jesus 
answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those 
things which ye do hear and see ; The blind receive their sight, 
and the lame walk ; the lepers are cleansed, aud the deaf hear ; 
the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached 
to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be of ended in 
me p. 203 



Lecture X. 

Our Lord's Answer to the Cavil which imputed his dis- 
possession of Demons to Satanic agency. He appeals 
to that class of his Miracles as indicating the establish- 
ment of the Kingdom of God. 

Luke xi. 20. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, 
no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you p. 227 

Lecture XI. 

Our Lord s Appeal to the Witness of the Father, by 
which he was the subject, as well as the worker, of 

Miracles. 



CONTENTS. 



xxiii 



John v. 37, 38. And the Father himself which hath sent me, 
hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at 
any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding 
in you ; for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not p. 257 



Lecture XII. 

Our Lord's Appeal to the Scriptures of the Old Testa- 
ment, as peculiarly designed to testify of Him. 

John v. 39, 40. Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye 
have eternal life ; and they are they which testify of me. And 
ye will not come to me, that ye might have life p. 286 



Lecture XIII. 

A Review of the particular Instances in which our Lord, 
during his life, actually cites or alludes to the Prophe- 
cies and Types of the ancient Scriptures. 

Matt. xi. 12 — 14. From the days of John the Baptist until 
now the kingdom of heaven suffer eth violence, and the violent 
take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied 
until John. And, if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was 
for to come p. 3 1 1 

Lecture XIV. 

Our Lord's Debates with the Jews. — That recorded in 
St. John's eighth Chapter considered— in the course of 
which our Lord specifies the period at which the 
Evidence of his Messiahship would be complete ; ap- 
peals to the Purity of his Life, and of his Doctrine ; 
hints at the Fulfilment in him of the Promise to 
Abraham ; and asserts his pre-existence. 

John viii. 28, 29, 45 — 47. Then said Jesus unto them, When 
ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am 
he, and that I do nothing of myself ; but as my Father hath 

taught 



Xxiv 



CONTENTS. 



taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with 
me : the Father hath not left me alone ; for I do always those 
things that please him. 
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you 
convinceth me of sin ? And if I say the truth, why do ye not 
believe me? He that is of God, heareth God f s words ; ye there- 
fore hear them not, because ye are not of God p. 336" 

Lecture XV. 

Our Lord's Statement that the Fulfilment of his own 
Predictions would evince his Messiahship, The manner 
in which he displayed and noticed his unlimited know- 
ledge of men and things. 

John xiii. 18, 19. I know whom I have chosen: but that the 
Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, hath 
lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, 
that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am 
He p. 362 

Lecture XVI. 

The remarkable Sayings of our Lord, at the time of his 
Apprehension, on his Trial, and on the Cross, con- 
sidered. — His Institution of the Sacrament in Comme- 
moration of his Death. 

John xviii. 36", 37- Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of 
this world ; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my 
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but 
now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto 
him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou say est that 
I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came 
I into the world, that I might bear witness unto the truth. 
Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice p. 387 

Lecture XVII. 

The Method in which our Lord evidenced the Reality of 
his Resurrection, and his reasonings on Prophecy after 

that 



CONTENTS. 



XX V 



that event. — The distinguishing peculiarities of the 
Christian Faith 

Luke xxiv. 44—48. And he said unto than, These are the words 
which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things 
must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in 
the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened 
he their understandings, that they might understand the Scrip- 
tures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved 
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and 
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his 
jiame among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are 
witnesses of these things p. 417 

PART III. 
Lectures XVIII — XX. 

OUR LORD'S NOTICE OF THE REJECTION OF HIS CLAIMS BY THE JEWS; 
AND OF THE CAUSES, PROGRESS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF 
INFIDELITY. 

Lecture XVIII. 

Our Lord's Notice of the Rejection of his Claims by the 
Jews. — He specifies some of the moral Causes of 
Infidelity. 

John v. 40 — 46. Ye will not come to me that ye might have 
life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that 
you have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's 
name, and ye receive me not ; if another shall come in his own 
name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive 
honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh 
from God only ? Do not think that I will accuse you to the 
Father : there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye 
trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; 
for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how 
shall ye believe my icords ? 449 



XXVI 



CONTENTS. 



Lecture XIX. 

The Infidelity of the Jews in its more advanced stage 
noticed by onr Lord with allusion to a passage of 
[saiah. — The occasion and purport of his Remarks; 
and a similar application of the same passage by the 
Evangelist St. John. — Other Cautions and Directions 
given by our Lord respecting the Temper and Method 
proper for Religious Inquiry. 

Matt. xi ii. 14 — \6. And in them is fuffitfad the prdptibcp of 
Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not 
understand ; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. — 
For this people's hear I is waxed gross, and their ears are dull oj 
hearing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any lime they 
should see with their eyes, and hear with their cars, and should 
understand with, their heart, and should be converted, and I should 
heal them p. 475 

Lictuim: XX. 

Our Lord's Notice of Infidelity in its last and confirmed 
stage.- — The Blasphemy against the Son of Man, and 
that against the Holy Ghost. — The demand of additional 
Evidence,, when that which is offered has been rejected. 
— Sanctions with which the Gospel is accompanied. — 
Conclusion. 

Luke xii. 8 — 10. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess 
me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the 
angels of God: but he that denieth me before men, shall be 
denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak 
a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but 
unto him that blaspherneth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not 
be forgiven p. 500 



HULSEAN LECTURES 

FOR 1821. 



INTRODUCTORY LECTURE L 
— 0 — 

HUMAN FRAILTV AND MORTALITY 
THE SPECIAL OBJECTS OF GOD'S PROMISED MERCY. 



SUITABLE PROVISIONS OF THE GOSPEL, 
MORE ESPECIALLY AS THEY ARE NOTICED IN THE OPENING 
STATEMENTS OF THE EVANGELIST ST. JOHN. 



LECTURE I 



St. John I. 12—14. 

As many as received him, to them gave he power to 
become the Sons of God, even to them that believe 
on his name : which were born, not of blood, nor 
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of God. And the Word, was made flesh, and 
dwelt among us, ( and we beheld his glory, the 
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full 
of grace and truth. 

He, who ff giveth to all life, and breath, and 
all things, hath made from one progenitor, and 
of one blood, all nations of men for to dwell 
on the face of the earth; and will have all men 
to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of 
the truth V Yet, although all men have sprung 
from the same original, partake of one common 
nature, and are indifferently the objects of their 
Creator's regard, they are variously distinguished 
from each other. The diversities of form and 
countenance, station and condition, ability and 
pursuits, are as numerous as the individuals of 



A Acts xvii. £ 25, 26". 1 Tim. ii. 4. 
A 2 



4 



Lecture I. 



whom the race is composed. These, however, 
are distinctions of time only, and of this world ; 
" at the hour of death, and in the day of judg- 
ment;" they will have ceased for ever. But 
distinctions co-exist with these, which in some 
respects are already manifested ; which will here- 
after be more fully developed, and more completely 
fixed ; which time cannot efface, and death cannot 
destroy ; which will determine our destiny at the 
last decisive day, and continue with us through 
eternity. These important distinctions are such as 
respect our inner man • our moral and religious 
character; the state of our affections, and soul, 
and spirit, with reference to God, and his favour, 
and the things unseen. 

To those "who believe on the name of the only 
begotten Son of God," belong privileges and ex- 
pectations, than which none more ennobling and 
animating can be enjoyed by man. They derive 
them from the mercy, and receive them through 
the power of God ; and the bliss and dignity 
which are hereby communicated to them in this 
world, are but a foretaste and pledge of more 
perfect blessedness in another. The same beloved 
Apostle who, in the words of our text, mentions 
these privileges, and also the wondrous method 
in which they were procured and revealed, in 
another part of his writings exclaims ; " Behold, 
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 



Lecture 1. 



5 



upon us,, that we should be called the Sons of 
God." "Beloved," he adds, "now are we the 
Sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what 
we shall be." a It is, however, already revealed, 
that "redemption through the blood of Christ 
has procured for us the forgiveness of sins." We 
know that we were thus ic redeemed, that we might 
receive the adoption of sons and the adoption 
will one day be perfected, by " the redemption of 
our body" from the power of the grave. And 
therefore " the earnest expectation of the creature 
waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God ; 
when it shall be delivered from the bondage of 
corruption, into that glorious liberty" of which 
the children of God will partake, by being " the 
children of the resurrection." 5 

"The hope thus set before us" is one to 
which we may ff flee for refuge" amidst all the 
fears, and adversities, and uncertainties of life. 
And if we are convinced that "grace and truth" 
have indeed " come by Jesus Christ ;" and that 
he, as " the only begotten Son of God, the Word 
incarnate, hath declared to us the Father;" then 
" though now we see him not, yet believing, we 
may rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full 
of glory." 



a 1 John iii. 1, 2. 

b Eph. i. 7. Gal.iv. 5. Rom. viii. 15 — 23. Luke xx. 35, 56. 



0 



Lecture I. 



We purpose, in these Lectures, to call your 
attention to the striking 1 and satisfactory manner 
in which the certainty, design, and importance 
of the Gospel were originally exhibited to man- 
kind. We shall shew you, in our next Lecture, 
that the Evangelists, St. Luke and St. John, them- 
selves have directed us to such a view of the 
subject. St. John has also prefaced his narrative 
with a comprehensive statement respecting the 
divine and eternal glory of the Word, who (C was 
made flesh, and dwelt among us full of grace and 
truth and the retrospective, present, and pro- 
spective, benefits of this incarnation of the Son of 
God. If, therefore, we devote this introductory 
discourse to a summary review of those impor- 
tant truths, into the certainty of which we are to 
inquire, we shall, by such a procedure, still fol- 
low the guidance of the Evangelists, and conduct 
our inquiries upon the plan which they suggest 
to us. 

The Gospel announces to us an appropriate 
and adequate provision for our necessities, as 
sinful and, therefore, as dying, creatures. ( f For 
since man was a partaker of flesh and blood, 
the deliverer of men likewise took part of the 
same ; that through death, he might destroy 
him that had the power of death, that is, the 
devil ; and deliver them, who through fear of 
death, were all their lifetime subject to bond- 



Lecture I. 



age." a And rightly to have meditated upon that 
guilt and frailty of man, which infuses bitterness 
into the cup of life, and sharpens the sting of 
death, will best teach us that humility and grati- 
tude, with which we ought to contemplate "the 
exceeding riches of God's grace, in his kindness 
toward us through Christ Jesus/' b 

That we are frail and dying creatures is pro- 
ved by universal and unvarying experience. We 
are carried down the stream of time ; and, like 
every other bubble that floats upon its surface, 
we also, in our turn, must disappear. Not only 
the fleeting portion of time during which we our- 
selves exist, but even the generation to which we 
belong, quickly passes away. The tolling bell, and 
the opened grave, ever and anon remind us of the 
unwelcome truth. Man, our brother, neighbour, 
and friend, "goeth to his long home;" "the dust 
returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit to 
God who gave it." And, when we remember the 
judgment that comes after death, conscience re- 
minds us of our transgressions, and suggests dis- 
tressing, but not groundless, fears. For, by all 
that we. can discover of the "eternal power and 
Godhead" of our Creator, by all that we have 
been taught, or can comprehend, respecting his 
character, we know that he is cc glorious in holi- 



a Heb. ii. 14, 15. 



b Ephes. ij. 7. 



8 



Lecture I. 



ness," and the " hater of iniquity ;" "abundant in 
goodness and truth/' and yet of inflexible justice ; 
that he " searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins/' 
and will "bring* every work into judgment, with 
every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether 
it be evil." If we dwell exclusively on the con- 
trast exhibited to us between his perfections and 
our imperfections, between his glory and our 
degradation, we could scarcely do otherwise than 
despair. But in order that humility may be com- 
bined with hope, we must consider these truths 
in connexion, as in Scripture we are taught to do. 
There all that is weak and frail in man is put in 
immediate connexion with all that is mighty and 
glorious in his God. Man's sinfulness and God's 
mercy are noticed together, both in the general 
declarations of his readiness to forgive, and also 
in the more explicit statements respecting the 
wondrous and consolatory provisions, which, by 
the incarnation and humiliation of the Son of 
God, are made for our redemption and salvation. 
Hence we may indeed learn the salutary lesson of 
humility and self-abhorrence ; but hence also may 
we be raised from the debasing depths of despair, 
and taught to lift up the down cast eye, to " be- 
hold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 
upon us." We are taught "worthily to lament 
our sins, and to acknowledge our wretchedness/' 
in order that the remedy provided for both may be 



Lecture 1. 



9 



worthily esteemed, and earnestly sought ; that so 
we may obtain of " the God of all mercy, perfect 
remission and forgiveness., through Jesus Christ 
our Lord/' a Yes, Christians, as " we have none 
in heaven but God/ 5 so "if on earth we desire 
none in comparison of him then although our 
"heart and flesh" may and must "fail, God will 
be the strength of our heart, and our portion for 
ever."- b Let the Psalmist, in another place, give 
us the assurance and the reason of such a hope: 
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our 
frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As 
for man, his days are as grass ; as a flower of the 
field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over 
it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know 
it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from 
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear 
him ; and his righteousness unto children's child- 
ren ; to such as keep his covenant, and to those 
that remember his commandments to do them/ ,c 
We are taught to take the same extensive and 
consolatory view by St. Peter : " We are born 
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, 
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for 
ever. For all flesh is grass, and all the glory of 



a Colkct for Ash- Wednesday. b Psalm lxxiii. 25, 26. 

c Psalm ciii. 13 — 18. 



10 



Lfxture I. 



man as the flower of grass. The grass withered 
and the flower thereof falleth away ; but the word 
of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the 
word which by the Gospel is preached unto 
you/ ,a Here the Apostle cites and explains the 
words, which Isaiah ascribes to the voice crying in 
the wilderness ; when, rapt into Gospel times, he 
already seemed to hear it uttering the proclamation, 
<( Prepare ye the way of the Lord ; that the glory 
of the Lord may be revealed, and all flesh may 
see it together/' b Here then we are approaching 
to a full discovery of the wondrous means, by 
which " God's people are comforted, their warfare 
is accomplished, and their iniquity pardoned/' 
Turn we then once more for information respect- 
ing this interesting matter to the declarations of 
the Apostles of Jesus Christ. What says St. Paul? 
ff The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus 
hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
For what the law could not do, in that it was 
weak through the flesh, God 3 sending his own Son 
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con- 
demned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of 
the law might be fulfilled in us. who walk not 



a 1 Pet. i. 23—25. 

b Isai. xl. 1 — 8. Throughout the remainder of the chapter the 
prophet gives a magnificent description of the divine attributes, 
and applies them for the consolation of man. 



\ 



Lecture I. 11 

after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And if Christ 
be in you, the body is dead, because of sin ; but 
the Spirit is life, because of righteousness. But if 
the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the 
dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from 
the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by 
his Spirit that dwelleth in you/ ,c We have in these 
words a clear and consolatory description of the 
blessed fulfilment of that original promise, which 
accompanied the sentence of death pronounced 
upon our first parents ; and which shewed, that, 
even then, "mercy rejoiced against judgment." 
The deliverance then promised was that " wisdom 
of God in a mystery, which God ordained before 
the world unto our glory the purposes of which 
were accomplished by the incarnation, and ministry, 
and sufferings, of the Son of God. This hidden 
wisdom "God revealed unto the Apostles by his 
Spirit, that they might know the things which are 
freely given us of God ; which things also they 
spoke, not in the words which man's wisdom 
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." d 
And so instructed respecting that tc Lord of Glory 
whom the princes of this world crucified/' the 
Evangelist declared, in the words of our text, 
"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among 
us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the 



c Rom. viii. 2—4; 10, 11. 



d 1 Cor. ii. 7—13. 



12 



Lecture I. 



only begotten of the Father) full of grace and 
truth." 

This passage stands in the middle of St. John's 
introduction to his Gospel; and it is connected, 
by the two first clauses, with the preceding verses 
of that introduction, in which he speaks of the 
preexistence and dignity of " the Word who was 
made flesh/' and of his reception in the world. 
The latter clauses of the verse introduce the state- 
ment which he then subjoins respecting the exhi- 
bition of his glory, and the effects and purposes 
of his manifestation in the flesh. The Evangelist 
first states the original cause, and then proceeds 
to state the effect ; which undoubtedly corresponds 
to the order of the divine intentions and dispen- 
sations. But our limited conceptions will best 
enable us, first to consider the effect, and then 
to ascend to its cause ; first to observe the method 
and consequences of the Gospel revelation, and 
afterwards to advert to the origin and dignity of 
him who was thus manifested in the flesh, which 
afford the fullest, and indeed the only adequate, 
assurance that he is "mighty to save/' 

" The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among 
us full of grace and truth." The phraseology 
both of this verse, and of the preceding ones, 
can only be reconciled with the supposition that 
the Evangelist speaks not here of any abstract 
quality, or of the doctrine of the Gospel ; but of 



Lecture I. 



IS 



a person ; and certainly, therefore, of him who was 
ff the author and finisher of our faith/' And 
whether or not he had existed previously to his 
appearance in the world ; and whatever were the 
dignity which appertained to him in such a prior 
state ; yet that being cc made of a woman/' he par- 
took of flesh and blood; that he cc dwelt among 
us" in the likeness of men, and shared in all the 
affections, and infirmities, and casualties of our 
common nature, was an obvious and undeniable 
fact; upon the certainty of which every other 
assertion respecting* him avowedly proceeds. Yet 
he spoke and acted as one who had authority ; 
he dwelt among us full of grace and truth, but in 
an official character. He professed to be sent 
of God ; yet he had not come armed with venge- 
ance ; but as one commissioned to offer for- 
giveness, cc to seek and to save that which was 
lost He was meek and lowly of heart, affable and 
benignant in demeanour. With lips full of grace 
he invited the weary and heavy laden to seek of 
him rest for their souls. By admonition and by 
promise he succoured the tempted. He encou- 
raged the suppliant to perseverance in prayer. 
He animated the penitent with the assurance of 
pardon. He imparted his instructions on subjects 
of high and holy import with a condescension, 
which shewed his unlimited benevolence; with 
a readiness and calm confidence, which shewed 



14 



Lecture I. 



that he spake of heavenly things as one familiar 
with them, and of earthly things as one who 
"knew what was in man." " He spake as never 
man spake;" as one "in whom were hid all the 
treasures of wisdom and knowledge;" and to 
whose view "the abundance of the heart" of man 
was open. His words flashed conviction on the 
soul; for they met both the avowed objections, 
and the secret surmises, of the gainsayer; they 
were calculated to alarm the careless ; they were 
adapted to the fears and wants and dangers of 
the humble inquirer. Thus did he dispel those 
mists of ignorance and error, which before ob- 
scured the knowledge of him, "whom truly to 
know is everlasting life." 

" He dwelt among us, full of grace and truth ; 
and we," says the Evangelist, "beheld his glory, 
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father." 
He came not indeed in the artificial pomp of 
human glory and dignity ; but in mercy and ten- 
derness, majesty and omniscience, wisdom and 
power ; in the bright effulgence of those perfec- 
tions which we attribute to the Father, and which 
constitute his glory. Those who were with Jesus 
most, saw more, not of his infirmity, but of his 
glory. At his baptism, by his miracles, at his 
transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension " he 
manifested his glory" as "the only begotten of the 
Father." 



Lecture I. 



15 



To the Apostles was also vouchsafed a fuller 
assurance and evidence of the same truth • for 
they were to " bear witness, and to shew unto the 
world that eternal life, which was with the Father, 
and was manifested unto them/' " Of his fulness/' 
says the Evangelist, "have all we received, and 
grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, 
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." The 
same grace which he exhibited in his life, was 
in a more especial manner exercised towards his 
Apostles after his ascension ; that it might be 
evidenced to the world by the illumination of 
their minds, by the importance, and suitableness, 
and efficacy of the doctrines they taught, and by 
the mighty works which they wrought through 
the name of Jesus, that they were sanctioned, 
and taught, and supported from above. His was 
the fulness of grace and truth ; and " of that fulness 
they received grace" abundant in degree, increas- 
ing in extent, and "instead of'" that of the Old 
Testament, which "though it was glorious, yet 
had no glory by reason of that which so far ex- 
celled it." "The law given by Moses" was holy 
and divine, but it was "the ministration of con- 
demnation ;" and had only " the shadow of good 
things to come." "The grace" which it left 
imperfect, and " the truth" of all that it promised 
and prefigured, "came by Jesus Christ;" who 
was <c the end of the law for righteousness to every 



16 



Lecture I. 



one that believeth." " To know the only true God 
and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent/' is now 
declared to be "life eternal. " 

With a similar statement the Evangelist con- 
eludes his introduction. "No man hath seen 
God at any time ; the only begotten Son,, which 
is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared 
him." By him are fully announced to us the 
perfect and harmonious attributes of the Father; 
the relations in which we stand to him ; and the 
way in which he will shew mercy, and can be 
"just, while he justifies those that believe in 
Jesus/' The Evangelist particularly specifies that 
he who hath " shewed us plainly of the Father/' 
was "the only begotten Son which is in the bosom 
of the Father;" intending, by such a statement, 
more deeply to impress us with a conviction of 
the grace, and truth, and authority, of the in- 
carnate Word. He declares to us thereby his 
antecedent personal dignity, "the glory that he 
had with the Father before the world was;" and 
that "between him and the Father was the counsel 
of peace," which in due time was testified by the 
preaching of the Gospel. The incarnation of the 
Son of God did indeed cause him to submit to 
a state of humiliation ; and it was succeeded by 
his "glorification as the So,n of man," as "the 
one Mediator between God and man," as "the 
head over all things to his Church." But his 



Lecture I. 



17 



being (c crowned with glory and honour, because 
of the suffering* of death," and his high exaltation 
to the throne of his mediatorial kingdom, did not 
confer upon him a new personal dignity, but only 
one of an official nature. It is true that as our 
Saviour, and as the Christ, he received <f a name 
which is above every name ; that every tongue 
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the 
glory of God the Father 3 /' But it was because 
he was cc the only begotten Son of God, which is 
in the bosom of the Father/' that he became our 
Saviour and intercessor. In him, while he taber- 
nacled among men, i: dwelt all the fulness of the 
Godhead bodily;" for he, of whom these things 
are spoken, was 6e God manifest in the flesh/' The 
whole Gospel of St. John teaches these great 
and essential doctrines ; it opposes heresy, not by 
the refutation of error, but by the establishment 
of truth. And as, in the latter part of the intro- 
duction to his Gospel, the Evangelist notices the 
incarnation, glory, and success of the Son of God; 
so,, in the former part of it, he instructs us in what 
sense we are to believe that Jesus is the Son of 
God. He states, in the text, that it was the 
" Word who became flesh;" and in the pre- 
ceding verses he manifestly speaks of the Word 
as a person, one also who 4 'came from God, as 



a Phil. i. 9 — -ii. 
B 



18 



Lecture L 



he afterwards went to God." Which of us will 
venture to say, that he spoke not these things 
by the inspiration of that " Spirit, which searcheth 
all things, yea, even the deep things of God ?" 
We might acquiesce, therefore, in this his tes- 
timony, even if the words and works of Jesus, 
and all the testimony of Scripture, did not teach 
us the same. 

" In the beginning was the Word, and the 
Word was with God, and the Word was God/' 
And having thus declared his pre-existence, his 
existence in the bosom of the Father even at the 
creation of all things, and his divinity ; he adds 
the statement, that " the same was in the begin- 
ning with God;" lest while we do "not confound 
the persons," we should "divide the substance." 
And again ; " All things were made by him, and 
without him was not any thing made that has 
been made." By him, by whose agency, as the 
Word of Jehovah, the heavens and the earth were 
made, and by whom Jehovah revealed himself to 
the Patriarchs, and to their chosen posterity, by 
the same has the world been redeemed. "In him 
was life, and the life was the light of men." That 
"light ever shined in the darkness" of the heathen 
world, "but the darkness comprehended it not." 
One "came for a witness, to bear witness of the 
light," even of "the true light which, coming into 
the world, enlighteneth every man." He was 



Lecture L 



19 



"a man sent from God ; His name John." It is 
not said of him that " he was with God, and was 
God ;" for he was but a man, though sent of God. 
"He was not that light,, but was sent to bear 
witness of that light, that all men through him 
might believe." He " went before the face of the 
Lord to prepare his ways ; to give knowledge of 
salvation unto his people, by the remission of 
their sins through the tender mercy of our God, 
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited 
us\" Yet as he, who "was in the world, and by 
whom the world was made, was not known " by 
the Gentile world ; so also, when " he came to 
his own home, even his own household/' the 
Jews, "received him not." For this their infi- 
delity we can fully account; but let us not "fall 
after the same example of unbelief/' We may 
safely confide in the truth of that record, which 
announces to us, "that God hath given to us 
eternal life, and that this life is in his Son." 
And great are the privileges, and consequent 
blessedness, which he is empowered to bestow. 
For, "as many as received him, to them gave 
he power to become the Sons of God, even to 
them that believe on his name." Of the nature, 
and future consequences, of this adoption of Sons, 
which we receive through the Son of God, we 



a Luke i. 76—78, 
B 2 



Lecture 1. 



have already spoken. And "if the Son thus make 
us free, we shall be free indeed delivered here 
from the dominion of sin, and hereafter from " the 
bondage of corruption for he who is " the first 
begotten from the dead, will "change the body 
of our humiliation, that it may be made conformai 
to the body of his glory ; according to the mighty 
working, whereby he is able to subdue all things 
unto himself/' and to "swallow up death in victory/' 
We are thus begotten again unto a lively hope; 
" but not of blood/' says the Evangelist ; for it is 
not a blessing descending by natural inheritance ; 
nor is it confined to any one favoured race, or 
family, or nation. Nor does it come "of the will 
of the flesh /' for " that which is born of the flesh 
is flesh," but this is a spiritual generation to the in- 
heritance of spiritual blessings. Nor is it " of the 
will of man;" his reason could not have discovered, 
his power could not have procured, his works of 
righteousness could not have deserved it. It is 
"of God;" " who according to his own mercy hath 
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the 
renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he hath shed 
upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our 
Saviour ; that being justified by his grace* we 
should be made heirs according to the hope of 
eternal life\" 



Titus iii. 5—7- 



Lecture I. 



21 



If, then, "God hath in these last days spoken 
unto us by his Son," we have received through that 
merciful dispensation a consolation for our fears, 
and a remedy for our disorders ; thence we learn 
that sin can be forgiven, and how our weakness 
may be strengthened. Hope succeeds to despair 
when we contemplate such a provision for our 
frailty ; when we find that God has by "the Gospel 
of his grace," confirmed all the assurances of 
mercy which he had before given, supplied all that 
yet was lacking, confirmed all that was promised, 
and brought in "an everlasting righteousness." 
These are unspeakably important truths ; but short 
may be the time which remains to ourselves, for 
securing the blessings which they make known 
to us. The awful hour of death is one in which 
we shall fully learn the value of the righteous 
man's hope. It is a season which will so surely 
come, and which may be so near, that the con- 
templation of it ought to quicken us in the pursuit 
of those blessings, which are designed to deliver 
us now from the fear of it, and hereafter from 
its power. We seek to impress upon you the 
certainty of death, that you may consider its con- 
sequences ; that you may make the inquiries which 
it suggests ; that you may realize the unseen 
verities which lie beyond the grave, and which are 
eternal. We proclaim to you, with reference to 
eternity, the doctrines of God's word, with all 



22 



Lecture 1. 



their evidence, their obligations, and their con- 
sequences ; you hear them for eternity. The 
decision to which you come respecting them is 
a decision for, eternity. Let then our inquiries 
ever be pursued with a corresponding seriousness ; 
let the illusions of time be dissipated, and the 
fascinations of sense lose their power over our 
souls, that we may learn to walk by the faith 
of things unseen, though by the sight of them 
we cannot ; that we may have our conversation in 
heaven even while we remain upon earth. 

We have more than once touched upon the 
old and trite subject of death. But often are the 
most important truths obvious and familiar ; and 
therefore are they so, because they are important. 
It is not, however, certain that, because they are 
familiar to us, we have duly profited by them. Let 
us then, in conclusion, once more renew the re- 
collection of our mortality ; and advert to the 
striking remark of Solomon, cc One generation 
passeth away, and another generation cometh ; 
but the earth abideth for everV 

Contrast the continued succession of the gene- 
rations of men, with the permanency of the earth 
upon which they live. Compared with their 
fleeting existence, it may be said to "abide for 
ever." After how short a period do we find 



* Eccl. i. 4. 



Lecture 1. 



23 



nearly all those, amongst whom we used to dwell, 
and with whom we were formerly connected, dis- 
placed and gone ; and succeeded by others who 
have started into existence since ourselves ! Nay, 
how soon are all the actors on this busy scene 
completely changed ; for cc there is none abiding." 
Soon the place that knoweth us now, shall know 
us no more ; and others will occupy the estates 
which were ours, and the dwellings we have 
inhabited. Our bodies are " houses of clay, whose 
foundation is in the dust;'' and all that we can 
call ourselves dwells in these frail tenements. The 
works of man often long outlive him. What pur- 
pose do the magnificent ruins of the cities of the 
wilderness, and the massy piles that adorn the 
banks of the Nile, now serve, but to make us 
wonder at the skill and diligence of those long- 
forgotten people, of whose manners, history, and 
language, we have now scarcely any record ; and 
to cause us profitably to muse on the shortness of 
human life, and the instability of human grandeur! 
But we need not visit these distant wonders to 
have a sensible proof of the same truth ; and one 
which may perhaps be at once more familiar and 
impressive. We are here surrounded by some of 
those edifices, which are the ornament of our 
country, and which excite and gratify the curi- 
osity of the inquiring stranger. They have 
served the purposes of many generations that 



24 



Lecture L 



are past • they serve ours now ; and will proba- 
bly continue to invite, receive, and instruct, gene- 
rations yet unborn. And in this place, assuredly, 
we may most strikingly see how quickly one 
generation passeth away, and another cometh ! 
A period of four or five years here almost 
changes the scene. Those, who remove from 
hence, do indeed for the most part go to form a 
portion of the permanent population of some other 
place. But what occasions the demand for their 
services in this place or in that, but the removal 
of some of our race by death? This perpetual 
change, and constant transition, are caused by 
the openings which death has somewhere made. 
The fluctuations and varying features of social 
life as certainly result from this cause, as motion 
in the natural world from a vacuum. Survey the 
permanent population of this or of any other 
place, and it will appear, that many of those, 
who, on setting out in life have little success 
and employment, in a few years become pros- 
perous, and, with their families, are established in 
life. Why? Because many of their former rivals 
have been removed, and they have succeeded to 
their abodes, connexions, and emoluments. Thus 
is our prosperity, nay even our very means of 
subsistence, derived from the mortality of our 
predecessors and ancestors : and that of our suc- 
cessors and of posterity will depend equally upon 



Lecture I. 



25 



ours. Death is the debt of nature; it meets us 
in every time, place, and concern of life ; so true 
is it, that "in the midst of life we are in death/' 
and that " one generation passeth away, and an- 
other cometh." 

When we look round on the great congrega- 
tion assembled in God's house, and recollect that, 
considering it collectively, we can assign the 
period within which all of us will have undergone 
the pangs of death * we might sit down, and, like 
the Persian monarch, weep at the melancholy 
reflection, did we not remember again, that ano- 
ther generation will ere that have gradually arisen, 
upon whom the sun will shine as brightly ; for 
whom the earth will bring forth as plentifully ; 
whose will be all the joys and cares, the comforts 
and disappointments that we have experienced ; 
and who will share the same bounty and protec- 
tion of the same God, All will be well ordered 
with respect to the fortunes and changes of the 
world in general. But will it be well with us as 
individuals ? We know the limit beyond which 
we cannot survive, but we know not within how 
small a span of time we have yet to move. We 
know also, that whenever " the body shall return 
to the earth as it was, the spirit shall return to 
God who gave it;" to render its account before 
him then, and at the appointed day before the 
general assemblage of all generations. And let 



26 



Lecture I. 



it be remembered by us, that we cannot have any 
certainty that our eternal state will differ from 
that which would be assigned to us this day, 
if on this day the decision were to be made. We 
may live long ; but we may " wax worse and 
worse, deceiving and being deceived/' and may 
thus be treasuring up wrath against the day of 
wrath. We may live long, and see many days ; 
but our strength may be brought down in the 
midst of our journey, and our days be shortened. 
And who that now has not his loins girt, and his 
lamp burning, can think that he will be ready, 
if his Lord comes in an unexpected hour? How 
then should we even now strive, and watch, and 
pray, that the spirit may be saved in the day of 
the Lord Jesus ! For by every thought, word, 
and deed, we sow that seed, of which the harvest 
will then be reaped ; and as we have sown to the 
flesh or to the spirit, we then shall reap either 
corruption or life everlasting. 



HIILSEAN LECTURES 



for 1821. 



INTRODUCTORY LECTURE IL 
— o— 

THE EVANGELIC RECORDS DESIGNED, ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE AND 
ST. JOHN, TO ASSURE US OF THE CERTAINTY OF THE GOSPEL, BY 

LAYING BEFORE US ITS EVIDENCE. THEIR SUFFICIENCY FOR 

THAT END, NATURE AND ADVANTAGES OF THE VIEW WHICH 

THEY SUGGEST ; AND THE PLAN OF THE FOLLOWING LECTURES 
IN ILLUSTRATION OF IT. 



LECTURE II. 



Luke I. 1 — 4. 

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in 
order a declaration of those things zchich are most surely 
believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, 
zvhich from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and mi- 
nisters of the word ; it seemed good to me also, having 
had perfect understanding of all things from the very 
first, to ivrite unto thee in 0rder 3 most excellent 
Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of 
those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 

We, as Christians, have been instructed in momen- 
tous truths ; even in all that was taught, promised, 
and effected, by a divine, incarnate, suffering, 
crucified, and exalted, Messiah. We have been 
baptized into the name of Jesus Christ. Having 
been begotten again by him to a lively hope, we 
have been taught the articles of our faith, the 
commands of our Master, the vows which are 
upon us, the obligations which accompany all that 
a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul's 
health. We have,, by our own mouths, ratified 
the promises and vows which were made on our 
behalf. We have received those holy mysteries, 



30 



Lecture II. 



in the participation of which we are " fed with the 
spiritual food of the precious body and blood of 
our Saviour Jesus Christ/' We have thus become 
" very members incorporate of the mystical body of 
the Son of God we thus iC shew forth the Lord's 
death until his coming again;" professing that we 
are Ci heirs through hope of his everlasting king- 
dom and praying unto our God to cc grant that, by 
the merits and death of his Son our Saviour Jesus 
Christy and through faith in his blood, we and all 
his whole Church may obtain remission of our 
sins, and all other benefits of his passion V We 
have been instructed in all these great and con- 
solatory truths ; and we have professed to believe 
them. If we have herein " witnessed a good con- 
fession/' and are not " losing the things which we 
have wrought/' then " believing with the heart 
unto righteousness, confession will be made by 
the mouth unto salvation." Of this salvation we 
may entertain a good hope through the promised 
mercy of a gracious God. For we have also been 
instructed, in the midst of the fears and infirmities 
of our nature, and under the afflictions of this life, 
to cc commit the keeping of our souls to God in 
well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." We have 
been instructed, even in the hour of death, to 
<f commend our Spirits into the hands of that God 



* Communion Service. 



Lecture II. 



31 



of truth who has redeemed them/ 3 cc in hope of 
eternal life, which he, who cannot lie has pro- 
mised and in the cheering and assured confi- 
dence, that (c he, in whom we have believed, is 
able to keep that which we have committed to 
him until that day." 

" So we preach, and so ye have believed." 
When we appear before you in this sacred place, 
and on this holy dav, we claim not ct to have 
dominion over your faith ;" but fain would we be 
fellow-helpers of your joy/' by endeavouring to 
convince you of the value and importance of 
"those things in which you have been instructed;" 
by faithfully discharging cc the ministry of recon- 
ciliation;" and by "testifying, both to small and 
great, repentance towards God, and faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ." And while we discharge the 
ministry committed unto us, you also, by your 
attendance here, seem to say unto us, what 
Cornelius expressed in words ; " Now therefore 
are we all here present before God, to hear all 
things that are commanded thee of God." — We 
have already alluded to some of those things, 
which are commanded us of God, and in w T hich you 
have been instructed ; and we purpose so to ad- 
dress you, that you may not be wholly at a loss 
how to ascertain " the certainty of those things in 
which you have been instructed." It is desirable 
that we should always " be put in remembrance of 



32 



Lecture II. 



these things, even though we know them, and 
are established in the present truth that we 
should be instructed in their several uses and 
applications, and be reminded of their certainty. 
It is desirable for ourselves, that we may not " let 
them slip/' but " take the more earnest heed to 
them," and not cc neglect so great a salvation." 
It is desirable for the continual benefit of all that 
have yet to learn these things, that they also may 
see on how solid a foundation the hope of a 
Christian is built. 

The topic, which is to form one prominent 
feature in the discourses of the Hulsean Lecturer, 
has been so often and so largely discussed, that 
he cannot, perhaps, select any department of the 
evidences for the truth of Christianity, abundant 
and various as they are, in which he has not, in 
some measure, been anticipated. But it is because 
these subjects are important, rather than because 
they are novel, that they demand our attentive 
investigation. It is from the circumstance, that 
many will listen to the discussion of such topics, 
who might not have either opportunity or in- 
clination to read much respecting them, that the 
utility of preaching is to be estimated, both as to 
this, and other, subjects of Christian instruction. 
The preacher may not advance any thing sub- 
stantially new. But the subjects themselves, of 
which he treats, may have hitherto obtained only 



Lecture II. 



S3 



an imperfect attention from some of those whom 
he addresses ; and the renewed consideration of 
the same extensive and interesting subjects may 
not be without its use with respect to others ; 
especially if the preacher's plan, or his method of 
illustration,, present them in some point of view 
in which they have been less generally con- 
templated. He will probably select some line of 
argument, which has already afforded satisfaction 
to his own mind; which he conceives calculated 
to elucidate the difficulties, and obviate the doubts, 
which may suggest themselves to the mind of the 
serious inquirer. And such a view will, there- 
fore, at least have the recommendation, that it is 
exhibited by one, who has inquired for himself into 
the grounds of his belief; who is prepared to 
avow his own conviction of the futility and false- 
hood of all the theories and objections of the 
infidel; and who is at the same time ready to 
give to every one, who stands in the posture of 
a candid inquirer, " a reason of the hope that is in 
him." With " meekness and with fear" would 
we do this ; with that meek and lowly heart to 
which alone God will C( teach his way;" and with 
that " meekness towards all men/' which re- 
strains the bitter word, and the judgment of un- 
charitable ness. We are desirous also to maintain 
that ce fear of God, which is the beginning of 
wisdom and which alone consists with that 

C 



34 



Lecture II. 



<e good understanding*/' which can enable us to 
judge rightly of what professes to come from him. 
Nor must we omit to cherish a fear respecting 
ourselves. Even when we seem to have attained 
the fullest conviction, we should still bear in mind^ 
that <c he, that thinketh he standeth, must take 
heed lest he fall;" and we must also es fear, lest, 
a promise being left us by God of entering into his 
rest, any of us should seem to come short of it." 

In such a temper of mind let us pursue our 
inquiries respecting cc the certainty of those things 
in which we have been instructed." For the 
present let it suffice, to specify and explain the 
method which we propose to adopt. Perhaps it 
may be considered in some respects a new one ; 
not certainly new in its principle, nor in the 
arguments and topics which we shall discuss ; 
but yet perhaps new in the extent to which we 
shall apply that principle, and in the form and 
aspect which arguments, already familiar, may 
assume, when they are so arranged and discussed. 
We shall proceed, however, upon a principle, 
which, though not generally adopted, is as little 
novel as Christianity itself; which the Apostles 
themselves have taught us, at the same time 
that they also furnish the materials to which 
it is to be applied. We propose to consider 
the New Testament, not only as a directory in 
matters of Christian faith and practice, which, 



Lecture II. 



35 



if Christianity be from God, demands our implicit 
obedience ; but as being also a repository of the 
several arguments in proof of the divine original 
of the Gospel. We contend that Jesus and his 
Apostles have themselves appealed to the several 
evidences of the truth and divine authority of the 
religion which they taught; and that, since they 
have so stated them, and reasoned upon them, the 
Christian, who understands the authorized records 
of his own religion, can be as little at a loss with 
respect to the reasons for his belief in the Gospel, 
as confessedly he ought to be, with respect to the 
doctrines which it requires him to receive, and 
the precepts which it commands him to obey. 

The principle which I have now briefly stated, 
and which will hereafter be more fully illustrated, 
will indeed apply to a considerable portion of the 
Acts of the Apostles, and of the Epistolary writings 
of the New Testament. But the materials fur- 
nished by the Evangelists are so abundant, that 
we must content ourselves with the endeavour to 
embody and elucidate the arguments and reason- 
ings advanced in the discourses of Jesus himself 
But lest we should appear to be proceeding upon 
unsafe or unwarrantable grounds, we will now 
explain in what manner the principle may be 
deduced ; at what period in the Christian argu- 
ment we may have recourse to it ; and the ad- 
vantages which it offers to the inquirer. 

C 2 



36 Lecture IL 

I. In the important passage, which we read to 
you as our text, and which forms the preface to 
the Gospel by St. Luke, the Evangelist distinctly 
asserts, that certain facts had occurred in his 
time, of which those, who were eye-witnesses of 
them, had widely promulgated the knowledge by 
oral instruction ; that others had committed that 
information to writing; and that he also had 
deemed it expedient himself to undertake a similar 
narrative for the benefit of Theophilus ; with the 
design, that inasmuch as he had already been 
informed respecting these things by word of 
mouth, he might now, by means of an authentic 
written narrative, further be assured of the cer- 
tainty of those oral instructions, and of the safety 
with which he might rely upon the accuracy of 
those accounts which he had heard\ The matters 
which the Evangelist relates are a series of facts, 
and also a series of discourses which were de- 
livered upon the several occasions he has specified. 
Upon such facts and discourses, those who had 
been eye and ear-witnesses grounded the whole 
system of Christian doctrine. And the Evangelist 
evidently conceived that Theophilus would both 
better understand those instructions, and more 
easily discover their truth, if furnished with that 
assistance, which a comprehensive and orderly 



* *\va em^vijo^ nep\ (ov KaTtj^tjdr]'; \6yuiv rtjv 'A24>AAEIAN. 

v. 4. 



Lecture II. 



narrative of such matters would afford. History, 
of whatever kind, is chiefly valuable because of 
the inferences which may be drawn from the 
events and experience of past ages, for our own 
practical direction. But never did such conse- 
quences so immediately and obviously result from 
any facts, as the doctrines and discoveries of the 
Christian religion from the transactions and pro- 
ceedings by which it was established. The 
religion itself, in all its leading peculiarities, prin- 
cipally consists in a statement of the design of 
those facts, and in the application of this know- 
ledge as the occasion and motive of repentance, 
faith, and obedience. If then we can be satisfied 
that the narrative of the facts is correct, we may 
employ it for the purpose which the historians 
designed it to serve • and see whether it justifies 
the inferences drawn from those facts by the 
founder and his followers. 

The Gospel of St. John contains fewer facts 
than the other Gospels, but a more copious record 
of the discourses of Jesus. He seldom, indeed, 
notices any fact, except for the purpose of explain- 
ing the occasion of our Lord's discourses and 
reasonings, and of the debates which his hearers 
held among themselves. And, near the conclusion 
of his Gospel, he tells us the design with which 
he wrote, and points out the inferences which he 
conceives to follow from what he has recorded : 



38 



Lecture II. 



e€ Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence 
of his disciples, which are not written in this book ; 
but these are written, that ye might believe that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that 
believing ye might have life through his name\" 

If then an author has thus stated to us the 
object of his work ; if he declares his conviction 
that what he has written directs us to a certain 
conclusion ; we have only to consider the premises 
upon which he builds it, in order to ascertain its 
correctness and certainty. The materials upon 
which to reason are fully given; but the argument 
is not drawn out in form by the Evangelists them- 
selves ; for they have only narrated certain facts, 
and recorded certain discourses. But those dis- 
courses contain such arguments, and are connected 
with such facts, that if we have reason to believe 
that they were delivered by him to whom they are 
ascribed, and that the facts to which they refer, 
and which are related so circumstantially, are 
correctly related, then no considerate person can 
reasonably doubt that the Religion which we 
profess is from God; for the Gospel is found to 
be its own witness, defender, and apologist, in the 
very contents of its acknowledged records. We 
do not say of the Gospel history, as the Mahometan 
says of the Koran, that it is itself a miracle, and 



a John xx, 30, 31. 



Lecture II. 



that it proves in that way its divine original ; but 
we do say, that the Gospels supply us with 
materials, upon which we can reason for our- 
selves; and that the result of every line of argument 
suggested by their contents is uniformly conclusive 
in favour of the divinity of the Religion which they 
teach. Not only do the style and method, the 
temper and completeness, of the Gospel narratives 
offer to an observing reader many internal indica- 
tions of the genuineness and credibility of the 
records ; but, also, in the very contents of those 
records, we find assistance in examining the 
question with respect to the external evidence of 
the Religion proposed to us therein. For, as will 
hereafter appear, the discourses of Jesus alone 
bring before us so many of the leading arguments 
in favour of the divinity of his mission, as to be 
almost sufficient of themselves, if rightly under- 
stood, and duly weighed, to establish the inquirer 
in the belief of Christianity. 

II. Probably it will be here observed, that our 
proposed inquiry proceeds upon the assumption, 
that the writings which we employ are genuine 
and authentic. It certainly does ; and yet we do 
not propose to enter on that discussion. For we 
suppose^ that both the genuineness and authenticity 
of the Gospel history have been so often investi- 
gated, and so fully proved, by evidence more 
complete and diversified than can be brought 



40 



Lecture II. 



forward in corroboration of any other history 
whatever, that no one, who has at all qualified 
himself to form an opinion, would venture to deny 
that the question is set at rest for ever. In fact, 
there is less danger that we should doubt the 
authenticity and credibility of these documents, 
than that we should neglect to use them as such ; 
much danger lest we should consider them less 
seriously, that we should embrace the conse- 
quences which follow from their truth, less reso- 
lutely, and less unreservedly, than in all sober 
reason we are bound to do. We might, if it 
were indispensably necessary for your satisfaction, 
immediately begin to ask you, how you could 
account for the establishment and propagation, 
nay even for the first publication, of Christianity, 
unless upon the supposition, that some such facts 
occurred. We might demand of you an answer 
to Leslie's celebrated argument, from the con- 
tinual observance of the Christian ordinances; 
from their avowed object, and the institution of 
them in the very age, and at the time, of the 
events which they commemorate. But we should 
do this with the conviction, that you would succeed 
no better than the acute Middleton, even though 
you also attempted it for twenty years \ We 

a See Jones's Preface to Leslie's Short and Easy Method with 
the Deists, in the edition published by the Society for Promoting 
Christian Knowledge. 



Lecture II. 



41 



might challenge you to shew how you can account 
for the reception of these writings, at the time 
when the verbal instructions of the declared 
writers were fresh in the recollection of those who 
heard them, nay even while they were yet alive, 
unless they had been their genuine productions. 
We might remind you of the opportunities of 
accurate information which these writers had en- 
joyed; of the improbability that the narrative 
which they committed to writing would differ 
from that, which they constantly published by 
word of mouth, which they began to declare 
immediately after the events had happened, in the 
very place where they occurred, in the hearing, 
and in defiance, of those, who were interested and 
disposed to contradict their statement. Such a 
contradiction was impossible. For when they 
stated, that cc Jesus was a man approved of God by 
miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did 
by him in the midst of them," the Apostles of Jesus 
could add, "as ye yourselves also know/' They 
"could not but testify the things which they had 
seen and heard ; " and their testimony was incon- 
trovertible, and uncontradicted, except with regard 
to the consequences which they deduced from the 
facts, and the system which they promulgated 
in the world, by the command, and according to 
the instructions, of their Master himself. There 
have been those, indeed, who have denied that 



42 



Lecture II. 



there is any difference between history and fable ; 
and who therefore contend, that we can place no 
reliance upon the testimony which evinces the 
reasonableness of our faith, and that nothing is 
certain but Metaphysical truth a . That which they 
would substitute for Christianity is uncertain in- 
deed; but their very statement sufficiently betrays 
a conviction, that nothing, except that which sub- 
verts the credit of all history whatever, can under- 
mine the foundation upon which we ground the 
authenticity of the Scriptures ; and that he who has, 
in whatever method, retained or regained a convic- 
tion of that nature, has already entered on the path, 
which, if pursued, will assuredly conduct him to 
a belief of the divinity of the Gospel. For, having 
been so far disposed to allow the credibility of the 
Christian story, as to be willing, with candour and 
attention, to peruse its records, he will perceive 
that " Christianity was founded on argument" both 
by Jesus and his Apostles. The acknowledged 
reality and character of certain facts, and the prior 
existence of certain prophecies, form the basis of 
their reasonings. And the more we consider 
these reasonings, in connexion with the occasions 



a See the citations from a French writer, in the Appendix to 
Bishop Van Mildert's Boyle's Lectures, Vol. II. p. 516, 517. 
His Lordship justly remarks, that the resolution, "jem'abstiendrai 
toujour* d'entrer dans la discussion des faits," " involves an im- 
plied concession of no small importance." 



Lecture II 48 

upon which they were advanced, and with refer- 
ence to the circumstances to which they allude, 
the more decided will be our conviction even of 
the credibility of those facts themselves ; and the 
more readily also shall we acquiesce in the con- 
clusion, that the nature of those facts, the whole 
design which is displayed in them, and the 
manner of its accomplishment, bespeak not merely 
the divine permission, but the special intention 
and interposition of God, that he .might "give 
witness of his Son/' 

III. You will already have perceived, that we 
are not about to discuss such questions connected 
with the evidences of our religion, as might lead 
us to any depths of abstract reasoning. Yet we 
mean not to undervalue such. In their place, for 
the refutation of objections which proceed upon 
such grounds, and for the satisfaction of those, 
whose minds are harassed with difficulties of that 
nature, such abstruse inquiries have their use 
and value. But the belief of Christianity does not 
result from these only, or chiefly. There is a 
path which humbler minds may pursue, and which 
leads to the same end by a less intricate and 
circuitous route ; nor need the wisest and most 
discerning be ashamed to walk therein. Take 
the Bible itself into your hands, and inquire how 
the religion of Jesus was first offered to the ac- 
ceptance of mankind ; upon what grounds, and 



44 



Lecture II. 



with what arguments it was then defended and 
enforced. And if you are unable to shew that the 
faith of those, who in that age embraced it, was 
irrational, you will feel obliged to allow the suf- 
ficiency of its evidence, and that we can have no 
plea for rejecting it. Examine, indeed, as ac- 
curately as you please, every objection, whether 
of an historical or metaphysical nature ; but still 
remember the abundance, the strength, and the 
consistency of the direct arguments in its favour; 
and beware how you suffer objections and theories, 
which in fact do not interfere with that positive 
evidence, to weaken its impression on your mind. 

I am desirous to set before you, as faithfully 
and distinctly as I can, the evidences of Christ- 
ianity as they are presented in the discourses of 
our Lord, and in the accompanying narrative of 
the Evangelists. We are apt either wholly to 
neglect, or imperfectly to attend to, this view of 
the subject. Yet I know not any writings, in 
which the state of the question is so fully, strik- 
ingly, and satisfactorily exhibited. It is, perhaps, 
not too much to assert, that the vindication of 
his mission by Jesus himself is such as ought 
to silence, if not to reclaim, the unbeliever ; but 
it is undoubtedly such, as affords an ever present 
and effectual means for confirming the faith of 
the believer. Almost every chapter of the Evan- 
gelic records instructs us, not only in Christian 



Lecture II. 



45 



doctrine,, and duty, but in those arguments and 
considerations, which persuasively teach cc the 
certainty of those things in which we have been 
instructed and which may, in an hour of doubt 
and temptation, recall the conviction to our minds. 

A disposition too generally exists, to consider 
the question of evidence, as something apart from 
the Bible ; as something which we ought to study 
before we venture to make ourselves acquainted 
with the Bible. But a knowledge, a full and ac- 
curate knowledge, of its contents, is necessary, 
that we may judge of the force and application 
of any of the arguments in favour of Christi- 
anity ; and that we may also ascertain whether 
there is ground for the several objections, which 
some have thought proper to advance. I believe 
that he, who has carefully read the Scriptures, 
particularly in the original, will find his faith very 
little harassed by objections and cavils; for he 
will have seen that they have seldom any founda- 
tion, but in the objector's ignorance of the Bible, 
or in his misinterpretation of it, or sometimes, we 
fear, in wilful perversion. So that the objector is 
generally combating the phantom of his own brain ; 
and those things, which the Scriptures really 
narrate, reveal, and require, still rest on the same 
evidence, and authority. We even contend, that 
the Scriptures actually include a statement of the 
evidences for the religion which they teach. We 



46 Lecture II. 

refer to our Lord's discourses in corroboration of 
this remark. We would say to the inquirer, 
examine their connexion ; analyze the reasonings 
advanced in them ; compare all that you know 
of your own heart and life, and all that you have 
observed of human nature, with the appeals which 
are made by our Lord to the conscience. And we 
confidently believe that he, who has done this, will 
be previously fortified against the reasonings of 
the infidel ; and will have attained a conviction of 
the divinity, wisdom, and value, of the Gospel, 
of which it will not be easy to deprive him. 
Without such a knowledge as that we have been 
describing, he is not in fact qualified to judge 
aright. He may refuse to believe, but he has 
never yet had sufficient reason to disbelieve ; he 
may hesitate and waver, but he has never yet 
taken the method which can lead him to a solid 
and considerate decision. 

We are also apt to consider the question of 
evidence in such a way, that the affections are not 
warmed, and the heart remains unmoved, even when 
with the understanding we assent to truths and 
realities so unspeakably important. We are apt 
to lose sight of the nature, extent, and obligations, 
of that into which we are inquiring ; and we lay 
aside the inquiry, perhaps, with as little religious 
emotion, as if we had satisfactorily settled some 
question of science, taste, or criticism. But this 



Lecture II. 



47 



is not a question of mere judgment, curiosity, or 
temporary interest. It inquires into the truth of 
a scheme, which embraces the concerns of time 
and eternity, and professes to provide for both ; 
but whose threatenings are as alarming to the 
ungodly, as its promises are consolatory to the 
faithful. The Scripture continually puts us into 
a practical posture, summoning the whole man 
to give judgment on this awfully important subject. 
When it has advanced what may justly convince 
the understanding, it then addresses the con- 
science ; probes and dissects the heart, and lays 
open all that hardens, deludes, and defiles it ; 
shews to us what drags down the affections, and 
what darkens the understanding. These moral 
causes of unbelief, which leave some undecided 
and inconsistent as Christians, and which confirm 
others in infidelity, are abundantly specified in 
Scripture. The view, which we propose to take 
of the evidences, is thus invested with a practical 
character. Not that the strict accuracy of our in- 
vestigation, and the hardihood with which we ought 
to embrace and abide by the consequences of 
it, need at all be diminished by an attention to 
such considerations. Yet at the same time, also., 
that we resolve carefully to scrutinize the argu- 
ments in defence of Christianity, we are bounds 
both by the nature of the case, by reason, and 
by interest, to remember that eternal life is too 



48 



Lecture II. 



important a stake to be ventured either upon 
a mere cavil, or even a plausible objection; 
much less to be sacrificed to any of those unholy 
and temporizing motives, which so often give 
both existence and permanence to our doubts 
respecting religious truth. 

In endeavouring to illustrate the remarks, 
which have now been offered, it will be impracti- 
cable to review all our Lord's discourses, and 
the facts to which they refer, in chronological 
order. This would, indeed, make us more com- 
pletely familiar with the way in which the evi- 
dences of Christianity were at first proposed, with 
the effects successively produced, and with the 
progress of the demonstration ; but it would lead 
to frequent repetition, as well as to a less con- 
densed, and less comprehensive, view of the 
subject. It would perhaps, therefore, be expe- 
dient to consider only a few of our Lord's dis- 
courses; or even, if such there be, some single 
one, which brings the several heads of evidence 
together. Now such a summary we find in the 
discourse recorded in the fifth Chapter of 
St. John's Gospel ; which contains, I believe, 
more orderly, distinctly, and fully, than any other, 
the leading arguments in behalf of our Lord's 
mission and character. That discourse consists 
of three distinct portions. The first of these 
contains a full and awakening statement of the 



Lecture II 



49 



pretensions which Jesus advanced,, in answer to 
the objections of the Jews, and in arrest of the 
hasty decision, and murderous intentions, which 
their rulers had adopted, because he had cured the 
impotent man on the sabbath day. The second di- 
vision contains an appeal to five important heads 
of evidence in support of those pretensions. In 
the third, our Lord states the fact of the infidelity 
of the great body of the Jews; and notices, in 
a striking and forcible manner, several of the 
principles and errors, which were tending* to, and 
ultimately produced, that result ; and which, being 
for the most part common to all mankind, under 
the form and modifications which their respective 
circumstances produce, ever have been, and still 
are amongst ourselves, the leading causes of 
avowed, suppressed, and practical unbelief. 

We shall bring forward what we have to offer to 
your consideration, in the order suggested by that 
discourse ; not only entering upon a complete 
analysis of it, but also employing it as a directory 
for the convenient arrangement of many other 
detached observations, and of the facts and pro- 
phecies to which those observations refer. The 
first portion of our Lectures will be occupied in 
considering the several statements which Jesus 
made of his pretensions up to the period when 
he delivered the discourse in question. — We shall 
then consider the appeals which from that time 

D 



50 



Lecture II. 



he began to make to the evidences in support 
of his mission and character; collecting under 
each of the five heads of evidence specified on 
that occasion, what our Lord elsewhere advanced 
on the same topics ; and afterwards considering 
such as are omitted in that discourse, so as to 
complete that department of our subject. — And 
lastly, we shall conclude with considering the 
infidelity of the Jews; the principles and dispo- 
sitions to which our Lord attributes a rejection 
of the Gospel ; and the awful sanctions both of 
promise and of threatening with which it is 
offered to our acceptance. — But it may be ex- 
pedient further to observe, that it will often be 
necessary to enter upon a detailed explanation of 
the occasion, upon which the several arguments 
were advanced ; in order that we may place our- 
selves, as nearly as possible, in the circumstances 
of those to whom they were addressed. And we 
may also observe, that our Lord's reasonings 
upon evidence are scarcely ever separated from 
the statement of his pretensions, and a practical 
appeal to the conscience ; and that the two latter 
topics are generally found in connexion with each 
other, even when unaccompanied by the first. 

We have been now endeavouring to shew you, 
that a full acquaintance with the contents of the 
Gospel history is as sufficient, as it is necessary, to 
furnish just views of f r the certainty of those things 



Lecture II. 



51 



in which we have been instructed/' But a full 
acquaintance with all that Scripture teaches is 
requisite, in order that we may rightly understand 
the nature of " those things in which we have 
been instructed," and in which many of us are 
called to instruct others. ce Let, then the word of 
Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom. u The 
more we contemplate for ourselves, and exhibit to 
others, the genuine doctrines of Scripture, in the 
manner in which Scripture itself reveals them, the 
better will our teaching be understood, and the 
more will it edify. The more shall we be "joined 
together in unity of spirit, by the doctrine of the 
Apostles and Prophets;" the less will heresy or 
infidelity disturb, and ignorance and immorality 
darken, our Zion ; and the more shall we ' c grow 
into a holy temple in the Lord." — Revealed reli- 
gion is not a metaphysical theory. Many such 
have been made, and substituted for religion ; but 
they have been as unsatisfactory, and as baseless, 
as any in philosophy. Thousands more might be 
created, as fast as the canvas receives form and 
colour from the painter's hand. They may speak 
the same things as cc the law and the testimony f' 
if they do not, " it is because there is no light in 
them/' But a knowledge of the real nature of 
Revelation, of its connexion, and extent, and cir- 
cumstances, would banish all strange doctrines 
and devices of men, and would prevent the recur- 

d 2 



52 



Lecture II. 



rence of the theoretical propensity; just as the 
Newtonian philosophy subverts our belief of the 
old philosophical theories, and supplies us with 
one of real knowledge,, because grounded on 
certain facts. Thus the mind is disciplined to 
reason,, and brought into a habit of calm inves- 
tigation; is emancipated from the power of ima- 
gination ; and is taught to prefer plain and sober, 
though it be yet imperfect truth, to the brightest 
and most complete vision that fancy ever conjured 
up. And as theories are not to be adopted as our 
Religion, so neither are they a legitimate objection 
to it; and for the same reasons. The Gospel 
comes with higher claims ; with facts which chal- 
lenge our belief; with observations the truth of 
which all experience has proved, and still does 
prove; with ff the witness of God which he has 
given us of his Son." Let us not then (C make him 
a liar/' by rejecting it; let us not be cc moved away 
from the hope of the Gospel which we have 
heard;" but rather let us gladly meditate on its 
declarations, rely upon its promises, desire its 
consolations, live in obedience to its precepts, and, 
anticipating the prospects which it holds out to us 5 
<{ rejoice in hope of the glory of God/' 



HULSEAN LECTURES 

FOR 1821. 



Part I. 
LECTURES III — V. 

STATEMENTS OF JESUS, RESPECTING HIS PRETENSIONS AND THE 
OBJECT OF HIS MISSION, WHICH PRECEDED HIS ACTUAL APPEAL 
TO THE EVIDENCES IN CONFIRMATION OF THEM. 



LECTURE III. 



our lord's conference with nicodemus. 

St. John III. 1—3. 

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, 
a ruler of the Jews ; the same came to Jesus by night, 
and said, unto him. Rabbi, we know that thou art a 
teacher come from God; for no man can do these mi- 
racles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus 
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto 
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the 
kingdom of God. 

To peruse the works of the mighty masters of 
reason, eloquence, and pathos, with that sensibility 
to their beauties, which attention and reflection 
alone can awaken, affords a pleasure, at once pure 
in its kind, diversified in its form, and salutary in 
its influence. Those, however, who have accu- 
rately studied the discourses of our Lord; who 
have made themselves familiar with his manner of 
instruction; who can judge of the propriety of his 
remarks from a knowledge of that which occa- 
sioned them ; and still more those, who feel that 
interest in the subjects on which he treats, which 



5G 



Lecture III. 



their importance is so fitted to excite ; — all such 
will be disposed to assent to the declaration; 
"Never man spake like this man." ff His word 
is with power for ee he knew what was in 
man/' He appeals to the conscience in a brief, 
yet impressive, manner. He displays the attri- 
bute of Omniscience, " which understands long 
before the thoughts " of the heart ; manifests an 
acquaintance with the intentions of his hearers ; 
and answers the doubt, objection, and cavil, when 
ec scarce struggling into birth," or, at least, not yet 
clothed in words. The questions upon which he 
decides, without hesitation, embarrassment, or 
ambiguity, are such as calm the fears, remove the 
doubts, and answer the inquiries, which have in 
all ages exercised the sagacity of our fellow men. 
He opens to us the door of hope, points out the 
objects of faith, and describes the pathway of 
obedience. He speaks as befits one who " has 
the words of eternal life with that solemnity, 
which challenges our attention ; with that authority, 
which evidences not the presumptuous confidence 
of the conceited sciolist, but the deep and abiding 
conviction of him, who ' f speaks of what he has 
known, and who testifies what he had seen." 
And as he declares to us the awful alternative of 
either believing in him, or of dying in our sins ; 
so he also directs our attention to those several 
facts, considerations, and inquiries, by which we 



Lecture Hi. 



57 



may be assured that he <e came forth from God ;*' 
and that " no one cometh to the Father, but by 
him, as the appointed way, the truth, and the life." 

We proposed to consider our Lord's discourses 
with more especial reference to the last mentioned 
topic ; having previously noticed such as inform 
us respecting the claims which he advanced. — 
Now the earliest statements of our Lord respect- 
ing his mission and character and office, are both 
important in themselves, and also furnish a key 
for the right understanding of his subsequent 
discourses. To several of these, therefore, we 
shall direct your attention ; all of them such as 
were delivered previously to any of those reason- 
ings respecting the evidences of his mission, upon 
which he entered at a more advanced period of 
his ministry. Such is the conference with 
Nicodemus ; and that with the Samaritan woman, 
and some of her countrymen. Such also is the 
account given by the first three Evangelists of 
the general tenor of our Lord's teaching in 
Galilee ; and, more especially, the account given 
by St. Luke of his discourse in the synagogue of 
Nazareth. Such also is the opening portion of the 
discourse recorded in St. John's fifth chapter, 
which may, in some measure, be considered a 
continuation of the discourse with Nicodemus. 
A cursory review of these several discourses of 
our Lord, will form the first general division of 



58 



Lecture III. 



our Lectures ; and will introduce us to the con- 
sideration of the second portion of the last men- 
tioned discourse, which contains our Lord's first 
appeal to the evidences in confirmation of his 
claims. 

The remainder of our time on this day will be 
occupied by the consideration of our Lord's con- 
ference with Nicodemus, which took place at an 
early period of his ministry. And it will be ex- 
pedient, in order to the better illustration of our 
Lord's remarks on that occasion, first to take 
some notice of the circumstances recorded by 
St. John in his two first chapters, and of the 
particular observations with which he introduces 
his narrative of this conference. 

Very shortly after his first miracle at Cana in 
Galilee, Jesus went up to the passover at Jeru- 
salem. He then, for the first time, shewed his 
zeal against the profanation of his Father's house, 
by the removal of the traders, and their mer- 
chandize, from the outer court of the temple. 
For the full proof of his " authority to do these 
things," he referred to the future sign of his 
resurrection from the dead : declaring, figuratively 
indeed, but in a manner which the event proved 
to be distinctly and accurately prophetic, that 
when they should <e destroy the temple of his 
body, he would raise it up in three days." Even 
his disciples, who had already believed on him, 



Lecture III. 



59 



did not understand this " till after he was risen 
from the dead." But in consequence of the testi- 
mony of John the Baptist, of the more than 
human knowledge displayed by Jesus, and of the 
manifestation of his glory by the miracle at Cana, 
they had already received sensible, intelligible, 
and sufficient evidence, to justify a belief in his 
prophetic character ; even though they did not at 
first understand the purport of all that he said, 
and the reason of all that he did. And, at this 
passover, Jesus exhibited, and, as it should seem, 
very publicly, similar proofs of his divine com- 
mission. Although we are not told the particu- 
lars respecting them, we are fully apprized of their 
effects upon those who were present. cc When he 
was in Jerusalem, at the passover, in the feast- 
day, many believed on his name, when they saw 
the miracles which he did." And afterwards, 
" when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans 
received him, having seen all the things that he 
did at Jerusalem at the feast a ." But Jesus, 
cc knowing all men, and not needing that any 
should testify of man, because he knew what was 
in man b ," was well aware beforehand, as the 
event has fully shewn to us, that much fuller 
evidence would be necessary so to convince them 
of his heavenly mission, as to dispose them finally 



a John ii. 23. iv. 45. 



b John ii. 24, 25, 



Lecture III. 



to receive him in all his offices, and not to be 
offended in him, because of what he came to do, 
and to teach. To such he cc did not commit/' 
or trust, " himself/' by a premature declaration 
of his office and purposes. But this general rule 
was not without exception ; as the case of Nico- 
demus, and of the Samaritans, will shew. To 
them he made a more explicit declaration of 
himself than for some time he did to others, even 
than he made to the twelve disciples. And the 
reason of this certainly was, that the rule, which 
prudence, guided by a divine knowledge, led him 
generally to adopt, did not apply to them. He acted, 
in each of these cases, according to his accurate 
knowledge of what was proper and expedient. 
This observation, premised in fact by the Evan- 
gelist himself before he relates these incidents, 
should be attentively borne in mind in the con- 
sideration of both of them ; and we trust that the 
distinction between these two cases, compared 
with each other, and also with the general conduct 
of our Lord during his ministry, will appear from 
what we offer in this, and a subsequent, discourse. 
This observation of the Evangelist, is indeed one 
of great importance ; for it explains the principle 
upon which Jesus acted throughout his ministry. 
And as an important rule for the interpretation 
of the Gospels is suggested by it, we must not 
lose sight of it while we endeavour to ascertain^ 



Lecture III. 



61 



from some of our Lord's earliest discourses, the 
several views in which he places his character, 
and office. 

We are informed, by the Evangelist, imme- 
diately afterwards, that (( there was a man of the 
Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, 
who came to Jesus by night/' and made the 
following profession of his own belief, and pro- 
bably that of some others; together with the 
reasons upon which it was founded. cc Rabbi, 
we know that thou art a teacher come from God ; 
for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, 
except God be with him." This was a declara- 
tion, which implied his full conviction of the 
reality of those miracles ; and which shews that 
he drew from them that inference, in the pro- 
priety of which the records of the Old Testament 
would abundantly instruct him ; which must ever 
be drawn by every unprejudiced inquirer from 
an evident and well-attested miracle ; and which, 
indeed, cannot consistently be set aside, except by 
subverting all reliance on human senses and 
human testimony, or by proving that there is no 
God to reveal his will to man. It was not upon 
such grounds that the rulers and people of the 
Jews ever hesitated to admit the authority of Jesus; 
but because their prejudices, and fondly cherished 
expectations, were painfully counteracted and dis- 
appointed. The miracles, and some parts of our 



62 



Lecture III. 



Lord's teaching-, frequently operated to produce 
a conviction in his favour, and that apparently 
deep, decided, and vehement in its character. 
But the current was always arrested in its course, 
and ultimately seemed to be wholly diverted in 
another direction, by his faithful and precise 
annunciation at such times of the mysterious and 
unwelcome truths, which must be received by all 
that would be his disciples, " Some even of the 
rulers believed on him ;" but the temporal penalties 
which the power and unbelief of their brethren 
would draw down upon them, deterred them even 
from advancing so far as Nicodemus. In him 
our Lord had a candid judge, and a willing 
disciple; one impeded, as much as his fellow 
countrymen, by the peculiar prejudices of a Jew 
and a Pharisee; but who, amidst all the doubts 
and difficulties which perplexed his mind, and 
amidst all the weakness and fear which, in some 
measure, kept him back from an open acknow- 
ledgement of his faith, still retained that hardi- 
hood of a candid and reasonable mind, which 
resolves, and which sooner or later acts upon the 
resolution, to abide by truth, however unwelcome, 
which is evidenced to be such by undeniable and 
sufficient proofs. He comes to our Lord with 
a conviction, and in a temper, which he seems 
to have ever retained. He comes with all his 
prejudices strong, and with his mind imperfectly 



Lecture III 



63 



apprehending the office of him, whom he re- 
spected as "a teacher come from God." But 
believing him to be such, he is willing to learn 
from him " the way of God more perfectly." 
Jesus,, therefore, knowing both his imperfect know- 
ledge, and his desire of instruction ; and that he 
would never employ it to further the hasty and 
malignant opposition of his brother Pharisees, 
gives to such a one an early, and comprehensive, 
though at that period to him a difficult, statement 
respecting C( the mysteries of the kingdom of 
heaven." But Nicodemus adopted, in all its 
bearings, the principle which he afterwards re- 
commended to the Jewish council, and which it 
becomes us also to adopt, as claiming the assent 
of every impartial judge in this matter. cc Doth 
our law judge any man, before it hear him, and 
know what he doeth a ?" He observed the works 
and conduct of Jesus, and attentively considered 
his instructions. By proceeding in the same way, 
we can judge upon grounds as reasonable as he 
did ; and shall doubtless, come to the same con- 
clusion respecting C( Jesus, who is called Christ." 

The instructions, which our Lord gave in 
answer to the profession of Nicodemus, connect 
themselves immediately with the previous decla- 



a See John vii. 51. 



64 



Lecture III. 



rations of the Baptist respecting the near approach 
of the kingdom of heaven, the baptism with water 
unto repentance, and the predicted baptism of the 
Spirit. And we may be well assured, that one 
who was a member of that council, which sent 
an official deputation to John to inquire who he 
was, and why he baptized, was well aware of 
the tenor and purport of the Baptist's instructions* 
We cannot, indeed, at all doubt it, when we 
consider the publicity of his labours, and the 
inquiring temper of Nicodemus. And we may, 
with great probability, suppose, that the authori- 
tative act of Jesus in the temple, connected with 
his miracles, disposed this ruler to suppose, that 
he was the mightier one of whom John spoke; 
and either that he was the Christ, or that Prophet 
whom they expected. If he had also been informed 
that John had borne witness personally to Jesus, 
he might have already come to the conclusion, 
which others afterwards expressed ; cc John did 
no miracle, but all things that John spake of this 
man were true V In some such frame of mind, 
however, he came to Jesus, and Jesus meets his 
implied desire of instruction from a divine teacher, 
by unfolding to him more fully and definitely 
than John had taught it : 



a John x. 41. 



Lecture III. 



65 



1. The necessity of baptismal and spiritual 
regeneration, in order to see and enter into 
the kingdom of God ; either to understand 
its nature and provisions, or to enter upon 
the possession of its privileges. 

2. The certainty of the mysteries of the king- 
dom of heaven, as taught by the Son of man, 
who came down from heaven. 

3. The great and crowning event, which would 
lead to the setting up of that kingdom, with 
a statement of its origin and design; and the 
necessity of faith in the Son of God in order 
to partake of the blessings thereby procured. 

4. The condemnation of those, who disbelieve, 
and its justice evinced by the motives which 
give rise to such a rejection. 

I. The answer which Jesus gives to the de- 
claration with which Nicodemus accosted him, 
appears, at first sight, abrupt ; and it is, in fact, 
an answer to something implied, rather than ex- 
pressed, in the words of Nicodemus. But if we 
bear in mind the observation which the Evangelist 
has premised, that Jesus cc needed not that any 
should testify of man, because he knew what was 
in man and if we remember also, that Nico- 
demus declared his confidence in Jesus as a divine 
teacher, at a time when the Jews were expecting 
the establishment of the kingdom of God, and 
after the approach of that kingdom had already 

E 



66 



Lecture III. 



been announced by the Baptist; it seems probable 
that he supposed that the mission of Jesus^ 
sanctioned by miracles, and superior, therefore, 
to that of the Baptist, had reference to the 
kingdom which John had proclaimed. And such 
indeed was the subject, in which Jesus was pre- 
pared to instruct those, who allowed him to be 
ff a teacher come from God." He therefore im- 
mediately entered upon it with Nicodemus; there- 
by confirming his suspicions, and meeting his 
wishes ; although he began by a statement which 
was designed to rectify his erroneous conceptions. 
" Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man 
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God." 

A Gentile, when converted to Judaism, aban- 
doned his former principles, and began,, as it 
were, a new life ; and they themselves inculcated 
upon him such a thorough revolution of senti- 
ment, and acknowledged the necessity of it. 
But a change of the same nature was also requi- 
site for the Jew, as the very door and entrance 
into the kingdom of God. The many incorrect 
notions, which they had adopted, would be an 
insuperable obstacle, until they were abandoned, 
and replaced by others of a wholly different 
aspect. This Jesus announced in general terms 
at first ; and in words which appear to refer only 
to obstacles of such a nature as we have just 



Lecture III. 



6? 



mentioned, whether, in fact, they be Jewish or 
Gentile prejudices. "Verily, verily, I say unto 
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot 
see the kingdom of God." The verb (yevvrjOy) 
being in the past tense, both in this verse, and 
in a subsequent one, it would, perhaps, be more 
accurately rendered, "Unless any one has been 
born (or rather begotten) anew, he cannot see 
the kingdom of God." He does not yet speak 
of water and the Spirit; nor does he yet use 
the expression, "enter into the kingdom of God." 
There seems reason to believe, that this differ- 
ence of expression is not merely casual ; and that 
in this proposition he does not advance so far as 
in the subsequent one ; but that he speaks only 
of the disposition to which we have already allu- 
ded, viz., a readiness to abandon all those pre- 
conceived opinions, which, as long as we resolutely 
abide by them, oppose the admission of revealed 
truth; and to embrace those which bear the impress 
of divine authority, though they may have been 
unexpected, and are at variance both with our pre- 
judices 3 and inclinations. This, in fact, seems 
to parallel another of our Lord's declarations, in 
which he speaks of the necessity of being " taught 
of God a ?' and also that of St. Paul, in which 
he declares, that "no man, speaking by the Spirit 



a John vi. 45. 
E 2 



68 



Lecture III. 



of God, calleth Jesus accursed; and that no man 
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy 
Ghost V The same Apostle also laments that 
the Jews, "being ignorant of God's righteous- 
ness, and going about to establish their own 
righteousness, have not submitted themselves to 
the righteousness of God ; for Christ is the end 
of the law for righteousness to every one that 
believeth V "Christ crucified was to the Jews a 
stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness 
but he, who had been begotten anew to more 
correct views of the kingdom of God, would see 
that " Christ was the power of God, and the 
wisdom of God and thus seeing and believing, 
would desire to be "baptized in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, that he 
might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost V 

This further step in the way of salvation by 
the Gospel, our Lord proceeded to explain to 
Nicodemus, who misunderstood the former state- 
ment, by supposing it to speak of a literal birth. 
ec Jesus answered and said, Except a man be 
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God." The full import of 
these words Nicodemus certainly could not com- 
prehend ; but their general tenor he might have 

* 1 Cor. xii. 3. b Rom. x. 3, 4. 

c 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. Acts ii. 38. 



Lecture II L 



69 



apprehended, from the passages, in which Moses 
speaks of the circumcision of the heart, and in 
which David prays for the renewal of a right 
spirit, and his establishment by the free Spirit of 
God, in order that, " having" been shapen in 
iniquity, and conceived in sin, he might be made 
to know wisdom A " The same also might he 
learn from many passages, in which the prophets 
connect the promise of the Spirit with an allusion 
to the pouring out and sprinkling with water , in 
order that God might (( write his laws upon their 
hearts in the latter days V And more especially, 
might he have learnt the meaning of these things, 
if not, as cc the Teacher of Israel/' yet as the 
disciple of the Baptist, who had accompanied 
the preaching of the kingdom with the adminis- 
tration of baptism ; at the same time exhorting 
to a repentance issuing in reformation, and pre- 
dicting the baptism of the Spirit. We, at least, 
comparing the baptismal doctrine of John with 
these words of our Lord, with the remainder 
of his teaching, with his last commission to the 
Apostles, and with their practice and declarations 
in consequence of it, can surely be at no loss 
to understand the meaning of our Lord. And we 



d Deut. x. 16; xxx. 6. Psalm li. 5 — 13. 
e Isai. xliv. 3 — 5; lv. 1. Jer. xxxi. 31 — 34. Ezek. xxxvi. 
25-— 27. See also Numb, xix. 20. 



70 



Lecture III. 



shall not surely doubt, that, although " to be bap- 
tized with water and the Holy Ghost, to be 
received into Christ's holy Church, and to be 
made lively members of the same/ 5 is assuredly 
ff that thing, which by nature we cannot have 
yet that " a means by which we receive the same, 
and a pledge to assure us thereof/' is instituted in 
Christ's Church a . We, as Christians, have al- 
ready been instructed to believe, that, <{ after that 
the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards 
man appeared, not by works of righteousness 
which we have done, but according to his mercy 
God hath saved us, by the washing of regeneration, 
and the renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he 
hath shed upon us abundantly through Jesus 
Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by his 
grace, we should be made heirs, according to the 
hope of eternal life V This is certainly the insti- 
tuted, covenanted, and ordinary way, in which we 
are brought to cc enter into the kingdom of God f 
by which we are enabled to walk therein as the 
sons of God, and to grow in grace and holiness, 
till we are made meet, by means of God's word, 
and the various ordinances of his house, to be ^par- 
takers of the inheritance of the saints in light." 
The end for which these doctrines are revealed, 



11 Baptismal Service, and Catechism, 
b Titus iii. 4 — 7. 



Lecture III 



71 



and these assistances provided, is undoubtedly 
this. ff that we may be sanctified wholly ; and that 
our whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be pre- 
served blameless unto the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ 0 /' Our Lord obviously refers to this 
subject, when he says to Nicodemus, cc That which 
is born of the flesh, is flesh ; and that which is 
born of the Spirit, is spirit/' And it must occur 
to every one who is acquainted with the language 
of the New Testament, that a like phraseology is 
employed in many other passages ; perhaps in 
almost all that treat of the nature, and operation, 
of human depravity ; and of that " renovation in 
the spirit of our mind/' by which we are tc created 
anew in knowledge, righteousness, and true holi- 
ness, after the image of him that first created 
us d ." By our natural birth, we also, as well as 
Adam, are made <c living souls;" but by our 
descent from him, we also partake of that " fault 
and corruption of the nature of every man, that 
naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam ; 
whereby man is very far gone from original right- 
eousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, 
so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the 



c 1 Thess. v. 23. 

d See more particularly from Rom. vii. 14. to the l/th verse 
of the following chapter. 1 Cor. ii. 9 — 16\ and iii. 1 — 4. xv, 
42—54. Gal. v. 13. to the end, and vi. 1—8. 



72 



Lecture III. 



Spirit*." The spirit of man, the intellectual and 
more exalted part of his nature, is, in consequence 
of the fall, so impaired and disordered, as to have 
lost its ascendancy over the body and soul, the 
inferior and merely animal part of his frame ; 
which in another passage is called the flesh, with 
its affections and lusts h ." C( ln our flesh dwelleth 
no good thing;" for "we see a law in our members 
warring against the law of our mind, and bringing 
us into captivity to the law of sin which is in our 
members so that "they that are in the flesh 
cannot please God." Ci But," adds the Apostle, 
" ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be 
that the Spirit of God dwell in you c ." For, as 
our Lord observes, " that which is born of the 
flesh, is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit, 
is spirit." And we must derive this spiritual life 
from "the second Adam, who was made a quick- 
ening spirit d ;" for he " baptizeth with the Holy 
Ghost 6 /' and has instituted the external and visible 
sign of water in baptism, as a symbol of the in- 
ward and spiritual grace of regeneration by the 



a Article IX. On Original or Birth Sin. — A reference to 
the remainder of that Article will further shew, how closely our 
Reformers adhered to the scriptural representation of the con- 
stitution of our nature, and of the disorder which the fall has 
occasioned. 

b Gal. v. 24. c R om< v ii. is, 23; viii. 8, 9. 

d 1 Cor. xv. 45. e John i. 33. 



Lecture III. 



73 



Holy Ghost ; to be " a means whereby we receive 
the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof." 

He who has observed, and duly considered, 
this Scriptural view of the constitution of man, as 
consisting of "body, soul, and spirit^" will find 
that many passages have appeared obscure, prin- 
cipally in consequence of inattention to the uni- 
formity and consistency which characterises the 
language of Scripture on this subject. He will 
see how the word of God "pierces even to the 
dividing asunder of soul and spirit°^ ,s in its accu- 
rate descriptions of the state of human nature; and 
how wondrously the blessings which it announces 
are adapted to the spiritual necessities of man, 
A summary of the design of the Gospel, as "the 
ministration of the Spirit 11 /' and of its necessity 
in order to the regeneration and salvation of man- 
kind, is given by our Lord to Nicodemus ; the 
whole of which we will now cite, in the hope that 
the preceding remarks may have tended to elu- 
cidate them. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee. 
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, 
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That 
which is born of the flesh, is flesh ; and that 



f The original words are a-w/xa, \j^v^t], and irvevfxa ; and crdpg 
is frequently used, and contrasted with irvevjxa, as including the 
two first. 

g Heb. iv, 12. h 2 Cor. hi. 8. 



Lecture III. 



which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Marvel not 
that I said unto thee,, Ye must be born again. 
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest 
the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it 
Cometh, and whither it goeth ; so is every one 
that is born of the Spirit." 

By the comparison employed in the conclusion 
of these words, our Lord teaches us, that although 
he, cc who is born of the Spirit/' cannot discover 
the cause, or comprehend the mode, of the ope- 
rations of the Spirit, this does not disprove their 
necessity, or their reality ; for he can perceive their 
effects. To adopt the language of an Apostle on 
this subject, such an one knows that the "natural 
man (^/vx^os; avOpwrros) receiveth not the things of 
the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, 
because they are spiritually discerned V He 
knows that there is a "spirit in man ; and that the 
inspiration of the Almighty giveth them under- 
standing V so that "he that is spiritual judgeth all 
things." He knows that "if he lives after the flesh, 
he shall die; but if through the spirit, he mortifies 
the deeds of the body, he shall live;" — that ff if 
he have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his ; 
and if Christ be in him, the body is dead, because 
of sin, but the spirit is life, because of righteous- 
ness 0 ;" that cc they that are Christ's, have crucified 



a 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. 
c Rom. viii. 13, 9, 10. 



b Job xxxii. 8. 



Lecture III. 



75 



the flesh, with the affections and lusts ;" — that 
tc if he walks in the spirit, he shall not fulfil the 
lusts of the flesh V — that fC as many as are led by 
the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God;" 
— that (e the Spirit itself beareth witness with their 
spirit, that they are the children of God ; and if 
children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs 
with Christ 6 ." 

Thu9 comprehensive and important is this first 
and most difficult portion of the discourse of our 
Lord to Nicodemus. We shall now do little more 
than refer to the remaining parts of it ; especially 
as some of the views, which they contain, will 
hereafter come under our notice, particularly in 
the discourse delivered after the cure of the 
impotent man; which is a continuation and 
enlargement of some of the statements made to 
Nicodemus. 

II. Surprised and perplexed by what he had 
just heard, Nicodemus asked, "How can these 
things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, 
Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not 
these things ? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We 
speak that we do know, and testify that we have 
seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have 
told you earthly things and ye believe not, how 
shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things ? 



d Gal. v. 24, 16. 



e Rom. viii. 14 — 17. 



Lecture III. 



And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he 
that came down from heaven, even the Son of 
man, which is in heaven." As if he had said, "I 
have spoken of things, respecting which the oracles 
of God, committed to you, are by no means silent. 
1 have described them in phraseology which you 
yourselves have also employed upon a similar 
subject. I declare them from my own knowledge 
and observation. And yet you do not seem dis- 
posed to receive my witness respecting them, 
though you have had evidence that I am a divine 
teacher; and though that evidence has induced 
you to think me such. Yet I am sent to reveal 
truths still more sublime. But if ye believe not 
what I tell you respecting "earthly things/' which 
relate personally to yourselves, which are attested by 
your own experience, and which can be illustrated 
by allusion to terrestrial and familiar objects ; 
"how will ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly 
things," which are so remote from your apprehen- 
sions; which none ever yet knew, which none 
could ever communicate, but the Son of man. For 
no other man hath ascended into heaven, but he 
came down from heaven; for heaven is his native 
and peculiar abode. 

III. Having thus adopted, for the first time, 
the title of the Son of man, in a manner which 
clearly implied that he applied it to himself, and 
the prophetic usage of which Nicodemus would 



Lecture III. 



77 



probably recollect a , Jesus proceeded further to 
instruct Nicodemus respecting the method in 
which the Son of man would accomplish his 
mission, and alluded, prophetically, to the closing 
scene of his life. He compared with it the last 
miracle of the life of Moses, which bore a typical 
resemblance to it; thereby again stating respecting 
the kingdom of the Son of man, what would by 
no means be conformable to the expectations of 
a Jew. cc As Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted 
up, that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life." Asserting, once 
and again, the necessity of faith in the Son of 
man, in order to a reception of the benefits of his 
mission, Jesus yet more distinctly announced to 
his disciple the universal extent of the intended 
mercy, the spiritual nature of the blessings which 
it conferred, the pure source from whence they 
flowed, and the divine original of the Son of man, 
who was sent to reveal, and to communicate them. 
" God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, 
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For 
God sent not his Son into the world, to condemn 
the world, but that the world through him might 
be saved." 



a Dan. vii. 13, 14. 



78 



Lecture III. 



The truths conveyed in these words are ? 
indeed, familiar to our ears, and memories, and 
understandings. They are truths in which we 
have been again and again instructed. We have 
need, however, to see to it, that, while we do in 
words, and even in our judgment, acknowledge 
their certainty, we do not " frustrate the grace of 
God, and receive it in vain." We have need fre- 
quently to call to mind, that as the comforts and 
prospects which they offer to us, are great and 
eternal, so the end of them ''that obey not the 
truth in the love of it," and who are not through it 
ec transformed by the renewing of their minds," is 
a fearful and a hopeless one. I know not what 
words can more forcibly represent these things to 
us, more fully represent to us the justice of our 
condemnation, and more powerfully call upon us 
to inquire into the real cause of our unbelief, 
negligence, and disobedience, than the concluding 
words of our Lord's discourse. 

IV. ff He that believeth on him is not con- 
demned ; but he that believeth not is condemned 
already, because he hath not believed in the name 
of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the 
condemnation, that light is come into the world, 
and men loved darkness rather than light, because 
their deeds are evil. For every one that doeth 
evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, 
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that 



Lecture III. 



79 



doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may 
be made manifest, that they are wrought in God/' 
Men would fain attribute their unbelief to other 
causes rather than this. And there are, undoubt- 
edly, "sinful desires of the mind/' as well as "of the 
flesh/' There is a perversity of understanding, 
which can offer plausible apologies for error, both 
doctrinal, and practical. But we fear that the 
cause specified in the text is of more general in- 
fluence than meets the ken of mortal eye. Even 
when we endeavour to analyze our own principles, 
we may overlook the love of sin as a primary, 
though concealed^ cause, whether of infidelity, or 
of perversion of the truth. We must, then, 
earnestly cc examine ourselves whether we be in 
the faith/' We must see Ci that the light that is 
in us be not darkness ; for if it be, how great is 
that darkness !" how impenetrable ! how dismal! 
and how fatal ! And the great danger of such 
a situation is, not only that we are in darkness, 
when we walk in the paths of sin, but that we 
" love darkness rather than light ! ' ■ For Ci light is 
that which makes manifest/' and the lamp of God's 
word shews us the appalling view of our guilt, and 
condemnation, and danger. We cannot bear such 
a light, and we therefore hate it. We will not 
come to it, lest our deeds should be reproved. We 
become, at length, so habituated to our state, and 
so reluctant to change it, that as soon might we 



80 



Lecture III. 



suppose that one who has been brought up in the 
depths of a mine, or been immured for years in 
the darksome dungeon, can bear to emerge at once 
into the light of the midday sun, as that the man, 
whose principles and conduct are inconsistent with 
the dictates of religion, will readily subject them 
to the text of that word of God, which is " a dis- 
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart/ 5 
Yet the works of darkness are tc unfruitful works;" 
and "the end of them is death but, on the con- 
trary, "reproofs of instruction are the way of life." 
Let us then resolve, to c( walk in the light of the 
Lord and to " prove what is the good, and 
acceptable, and perfect will of God." Let us not 
defer this resolution • lest our heart become more 
cc hardened through the deceitfulness of sin and 
we at the same time become so familiar with those 
truths, which ought to undeceive, reform, and 
sanctify us, as to disqualify them from giving, and 
ourselves from receiving, the necessary instruction 
and conviction. But if we receive the word in an 
honest and good heart, and press on towards per- 
fection, we shall derive abundantly more satisfaction 
in the conviction, "that our deeds are wrought in 
God," than ever the ways of sin could afford. 
And our security will be as great as our happiness. 
But those on the contrary, who hate the light of 
truth, destitute alike of knowledge to direct the 
steps, and of comfort to rejoice the heart, will walk 



Lecture III. 



81 



on still in darkness ; until " their feet stumble 
upon the dark mountains ; and while they look for 
light, the Lord their God turn it into the shadow 
of death, and make it gross darkness a ." 



a Jer. xiii. 16. 



LECTURE IV. 



OUR LORD'S TEACHING IN SAMARIA AND GALILEE. 

AT WHAT PERIOD, AND FOR WHAT REASON, HE 

BEGAN TO ARGUE IN DEFENCE OF HIS MISSION. 

Matthew IV. 23. 

And Jesus zvent about all Galilee, teaching in their 
synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, 
and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of 
disease among the people. 

We know that cc Jesus of Nazareth went about 
doing good that he imparted health to the 
diseased^ consolation to the distressed, and in- 
struction to the ignorant. As in reading the his- 
tory of the benevolent Howard, so also in perusing 
that of Jesus, our admiration is mingled with 
a feeling of thankful satisfaction that such an one 
has appeared among mortals, gifted with the dis- 
position and the ability to alleviate C! the miseries 
of this sinful world/' — But it is not merely as 
a Philanthropist that we must contemplate the 
character of Jesus. For at the moment that we 
are sympathizing in the joy of those who are 
rejoicing because he has dried up their tears, we 
find a claim presented to ourselves for somewhat 
more than admiration. We find that he has 



Lecture IV. 



83 



somewhat to declare to us, as well as to the im- 
mediate objects of his more than human benefi- 
cence. He has excited indeed a deep interest in 
our minds ; but we perceive that his design is not 
accomplished, unless he can prevail upon us to 
recognize in himself the features of a messenger 
of God, and., with unabated interest, and also with 
implicit obedience, to listen to his heavenly doc- 
trine. And if, after such a discovery, we manifest 
a disposition to stifle the feelings of admiration, to 
withdraw our confidence, and to retire from his 
presence, he suffers us not to depart, till he has 
changed his tone of invitation into that of solemn, 
but affectionate, warning, as to the ingratitude, 
inconsistency, and danger, of disregarding his 
instructions. We find that we must still follow 
him, not only for the gratification of our benevo- 
lent feelings ; not only because we can " eat of 
the loaves and be filled nay, not only because 
we can cc see some miracle done by him," and 
learn thereby that cc God is with him but that 
we may ce labour for, and be nourished by, the 
meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which 
he, as the Son of man, shall give unto us ; for him 
hath God the Father sealed/' And if we ask, 
iC What shall we do, that we may work the works 
of God V we hear him declaring, " This is the 
work of God, that ye believe on him whom he 
hath sent." We naturally inquire in what cha- 
ir 2 



84 



Lecture IV. 



racier he is sent ; and what evidence we have to 
assure us that he is, for purposes so important, 
Ci sealed^ sanctified, and sent into the world." — 
Upon this principle we proposed to conduct our 
inquiries ; and taking- occasion from the brief 
statement given in our text, let us now so far 
consider the detail of his earlier ministrations, sub- 
sequently to the discourse with Nicodemus, as to 
learn from his own lips what he says of himself, 
and also " what signs he shews that we may see 
and believe him." 

Subsequently to the solemnities of the Passover 
at Jerusalem, and to the conference with Nico- 
demus, Jesus went from the city into Judea ; and., 
because John had then retired into Galilee, tar- 
ried there for the space of probably six or seven 
months, and baptized. But knowing that the 
Pharisees were aware, that he had made and bap- 
tized even more disciples than John ; and probably 
apprehending that the Pharisees, being jealous of 
his success, might follow the example of Herod, 
who had imprisoned John in Galilee; he left 
Judea, and journeyed towards Galilee, that he 
might labour in the footsteps of his forerunner. 
{( And he must needs go through Samaria." — 
Thither let us accompany him, and behold him, 
wearied with his journey, sitting at the well of 
Jacob, near the city Sychar. For there shall we 
hear his heavenly doctrine, and an explicit avowal 



Lecture IV. 



85 



of the diameter in which he delivered it, at the 
well-known and interesting interview with a 
Samaritan woman*. 

As Jesus sat by the well, the woman came 
to draw water ; and Jesus asked for a draught 
of the water. The request was received with 
an expression of wonder which almost implied 
a refusal ; because the mutual enmity of the 
Jews and Samaritans had long prevented all in- 
tercourse of a friendly nature. But our Lord, 
who came to remove the enmity between Jew 
and Gentile, and to reconcile them to each other, 
so as to bring them into one body by his cross, 
checked rather than encouraged her indulgence of 
this national animosity ; and, borrowing, as his 
custom was, an illustration from the objects imme- 
diately before him, in a gradual and familiar 
manner he led her to the consideration and appre- 
hension of the great truths in which he designed 
to instruct her. 

<c If, says he, thou hadst known the gift of God, 
and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, 
thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would 
have given thee living water." Her attention and 
curiosity were excited by the latter expression, 
which seemed to allude to present and sensible 
things ; but the first clause which pointed out the 



a John iv. 5—42. 



86 



Lecture IV. 



divine origin and source of that, concerning which 
he spoke, seems not to have made so strong an im- 
pression. She answers first to the last clause of 
our Lord's remark, cc Sir, thou hast nothing to 
draw with, and the well is deep, from whence 
then hast thou that living water?" Being also 
unable to understand the meaning of Jesus in the 
preceding clause, in which he seemed to her to 
state that he was a greater one than she supposed, 
she added ; f Art thou greater than our father 
Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof 
himself, and his children, and his cattle?" Our 
Lord did not stay to refute her probably unau- 
thorized claim to be a descendant of Jacob, but 
proceeded to the more important endeavour to 
lead her thoughts to that gift of God, of which 
she yet knew so little, but of which it was his 
desire to apprize her. <c Whosoever drinketh of 
this water shall thirst again ; but whosoever 
drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall 
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him 
shall be in him a well of water springing up into 
everlasting life." She evidently did not yet per- 
ceive the drift of our Lord's remark; and therefore 
with a mingled feeling of embarrassment, astonish- 
ment, and incredulity, she added, " Sir, give me 
this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither 
to draw." — Jesus next proceeded to deal with her 
in a different manner ; but we stay, for a moment, 



Lecture IV. 



87 



to inquire what was the living* water of which he 
spake. 

We know that the prophets described, under 
this significant image, the future spiritual blessings 
of the Gospel ; and that one passage specifies the 
particular blessings which were thereby intended. 
cc I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and 
floods upon the dry ground ; I will pour out my 
spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine 
offspring 1 ." Our Lord afterwards used the same 
figure on the last and great day of the feast of 
tabernacles, when they drew from the pool of 
Siloam, and solemnly offered and poured out 
water ; thus, by an observance apparently sanc- 
tioned only by tradition, commemorating the 
miraculous supply of water in the wilderness from 
the smitten rock. An Apostle has said, that 
cc they drank of that spiritual rock which fol- 
lowed them, and that rock was Christ V Accord- 
ingly Jesus here speaks of himself as having the 
power to bestow this gift of God ; and in the last 
day of the feast of tabernacles, resuming the 
subject, he cried, cc If any man thirst, let him 
come unto me and drink. He that believeth on 
me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly 
shall flow rivers of living water." The Evangelist 



a Isai. xliv. 3 — 5. lv. \. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. Hosea xiv. 5. 
b I Cor. x. 1—4. 



88 



Lecture 1V„ 



adds a comment upon this beautiful and persuasive 
declaration. u This spake he of the Spirit, which 
they that believe on him should receive ; for the 
Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was 
not yet glorified. " He adds, that <( many of the 
people, when they heard this saying, said, Of 
a truth this is the Prophet ; others said, This is 
the Christ 4 ." They knew the writings of the 
prophets, and hence they drew their inference. 
But the Samaritans probably received only the five 
books of Moses ; and yet our Lord proceeded to 
shew the Samaritan woman, in a manner suited to 
her circumstances, both that he was " a prophet," 
and also that he was <c the Christ." And we may 
here remark, that only on the day of that interview, 
and the two which immediately followed it, did he 
labour among the Samaritans. Yet they believed 
in him. And when the Apostles, in obedience to 
our Lord's order, became " witnesses to him in 
Samaria," and preached him among them as the 
Christ, they then also " gave heed with one 
accord to the things preached to them" by Philip 
the deacon. And " when the Apostles heard that 
Samaria had received the word of God, they sent 
Peter and John," who communicated to them 
the gifts of that Holy Spirit, of which Jesus had 
so long before spoken amongst them b . 



• John vii. 37—43. b Acts viii. 5—17. 



Lecture IV. 



89 



But to proceed with our more immediate sub- 
ject. Jesus desired the woman " to call her 
husband/' and come to him again. Her simple 
declaration that cc she had no husband," with the 
suppression of the disgraceful circumstances which 
made her declaration true, gave occasion to Jesus, 
to shew her, that he was fully aware of those very 
circumstances, of the whole course of her past life, 
and of her impure and illicit connection at that 
time. Astonished and confounded, like Nathanael, 
to whom our Lord displayed a knowledge of his 
more commendable private history ^ she confessed 
her conviction, at length, that she had not hitherto 
appreciated his character. " Sir, I perceive that 
thou art a prophet/ 5 But not immediately avail- 
ing herself of this opportunity to ask the full 
import of what that prophet had just declared to 
her, she proposed for his decision the controverted 
question, so long debated between themselves and 
the Jews, whether Gerizim or Jerusalem was 
ec the place in which men ought to worship. " 
Our Lord decided this in favour of the Jews; 
instructed her further in the true nature of 
worship, as always more important than the place 
where it was performed; and assured her that 
shortly the very ground and occasion of their 
debate would be removed, by the introduction of 
a spiritual and more extensive dispensation. 
" Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when 



90 



Lecture IV. 



ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at 
Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye 
know not what ; we know what we worship ; for 
salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, 
and now is, when the true worshippers shall wor- 
ship the Father in spirit and in truth ; for the 
Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a 
spirit; and they that worship him must worship 
him in spirit and in truth." In this intimation of 
the near approach of a season,, respecting which 
it had been predicted that " in every place incense, 
and a pure offering* should be offered unto the 
name of the Lord of hosts V the woman appears 
to have acquiesced; for Jesus therein spoke as 
a prophet, and she had been convinced that he 
could justly claim that character. But Jesus had 
yet to announce to her that he was cc more than 
a prophet that his was that title and character, 
which authorized him, by her own confession, to 
claim her ready and unreserved assent to his de- 
cision of the question. cc The woman saith unto 
him., I know that Messias is coming ; when he is 
come, he will tell us all things. — Jesus saith unto 
her, I that speak unto thee am he." 

We have here a declaration, which, in one 
word, communicates to us a knowledge of the 
office and character, to which Jesus laid claim ; 



a Mai. i. 11. 



Lecture IV. 



9i 



but which he had never before stated in those 
precise terms, nor afterwards did, until his last 
arraignment before the High Priest. On that 
occasion he replied in the affirmative to the 
solemn "adjuration by the most High God, that 
he should tell them whether he were the Christ, 
or not." If we ask the reason of his openness 
on this occasion, and of his reserve upon others, 
we answer, that at this time only, during his 
personal ministry, did he instruct the Samaritans, 
at all other times, he laboured amongst Jews. 
In Samaria "the fields were already white unto 
the harvest;" and accordingly, when "the fulness 
of the blessing of the Gospel of peace" was 
preached unto them by the companions of the 
Apostles, then also they "gladly received the 
word." Yet as our Lord never visited them 
again as a teacher, and also directed the twelve 
not to enter into any city of the Samaritans ; 
so neither does it appear that John had preached 
among them as our Lord's forerunner. He 
laboured among the Jews only ; because among 
them it was necessary that " every valley should 
be filled, every mountain and hill be made low, 
the crooked made straight, and the rough places 
plain; before all flesh could see the salvation of 
God." They had so joined the notion of 
Messiah's office as a prophet and a priest, with 
his kingly prerogative^ as to make the latter 
supersede, or at least neutralize, the former. 



92 



Lecture IV. 



They were therefore dealt with in a manner, 
which these partial and carnal prejudices rendered 
necessary ; in order that,, whether or not they 
ultimately recognized the real office of the 
Messiah, and received Jesus as that Messiah, 
they might, at least, not frustrate the end, for 
which he was manifested. Had he in so many 
words declared to them that he was the Messiah, 
they were at that time prepared to understand 
the term as first and principally denoting not 
only a descendant of David, but the heir of his 
temporal kingdom. The mass of the Jewish 
people wanted only an avowal on his part that 
he was the Messiah, to induce them resolutely 
(c to take him by force, and make him a king;" 
and to raise such a tumult as would effectually 
have prevented the designs of the cc prince of 
peace," if it had been successful ; and, if it had 
been otherwise, would have prematurely termi- 
nated his own ministry, and perhaps the existence 
of the Jews as a nation. Though he was indeed 
a king, yet was his kingdom cc not of this world ; 
and therefore, when his hour was come, his 
servants did not fight that he should not be 
delivered to the Jews. To this end he was 
born, and for this cause he came into the world, 
that he might bear witness to the truth V 
Conformable to this end was his teaching and 



a John xviii. 37. 



Lecture IV. 



93 



conduct, both among the Samaritans, and among 
the Jews; and among both, "every one, that 
was of the truth, heard his voice/' 

Among the Samaritans, as we have seen, he 
explicitly declared himself to be the Messiah. 
We cannot suppose it probable, that the opinion 
which the woman expressed respecting the 
Messiah, antecedently to the declaration of Jesus, 
was peculiar to herself, or derived from any other 
source than the common traditional notions of 
her fellow-countrymen. In fact she so states it, 
as to imply that it was the settled and prevalent 
opinion. <c \ know that Messiah is coming, — he 
will tell us all things." She conceived of Messiah 
as a divine teacher; and expected that the time 
of his appearance was not far distant. Her fellow- 
countrymen, who " believed in him not only 
because of her word, but because they heard 
him themselves/' at the same time that they 
expressed their firm conviction that he was the 
Christ, explained their notion of his office as such, 
by the declaration, we know that this is indeed 
the Christ, the Saviour of the ivorld." Bishop 
Horsley has shewn at large, that the five books 
of Moses, which alone they admitted as canonical 
Scripture, afforded sufficient ground for this their 
expectation. But from their use of the term 
Messiah, which they could not derive from the 
Pentateuch, we may suppose that they were not 



94 



Lecture IV. 



unacquainted with the later prophecies ; indeed 
it would be difficult to conceive otherwise, when 
we consider that the Samaritans lived in the 
very midst of the Jews, and that there was so 
great a similarity in the religious system of the 
two nations ; although we allow that they did 
not receive the prophetic books as canonical 
Scripture. Be that, however, as it may, they 
had not abandoned the principle, which the 
Pentateuch ought to have taught to the Jews, as 
well as to them, that he that was to come would 
be cc a. prophet/' and "a blessing to all nations." 
And received in such a character, Jesus declared 
to the woman that he was the Messiah ; and 
other Samaritans, to whom she communicated 
the intelligence, heard him themselves. He 
doubtless enlarged, in their hearing, also upon 
the same truths which he had declared to her, 
respecting the living water, the worship of God, 
and the blessings about to be revealed ; and 
probably contributed to the maturity and definite- 
ness of their expectations respecting the salvation 
of the world, by some such declarations as he 
had lately made to Nicodemus; who like the 
Samaritans, had attained to a conviction, that he 
was ff a teacher come from God." 

Comparatively few of those, whom our Lord 
had to instruct unto the kingdom of heaven, 
had either the correct views, or the candid 



Lecture IV. 



95 



dispositions, of the Samaritans and of Nicodemus. 
When, therefore, we follow Jesus into Galilee, 
where, until the next passover, "he taught in 
their synagogues, and proclaimed the glad tidings 
of the kingdom/' we do not find that he was 
so explicit in his declarations. Yet it is obvious, 
that what he taught was the same in substance, 
and preparatory, " as they were able to bear it/' 
to that final avowal of his Messiahship, without 
which he did not leave even the Jews, who were 
so ill-prepared to understand it aright. Each of 
the two first Evangelists has given us a summary 
of the topics, which for a time formed the subject 
of his discourses ; and St. Luke has handed down 
to us a notice of some leading particulars in the 
remarkable discourse, which, after some time, 
he delivered in the synagogue of his own city 
Nazareth. We at least, after having been 
acquainted with his previous statements, cannot 
be at a loss with respect to his meaning and 
design in those annunciations and exhortations, 
which we shall now very briefly notice. 

St. Mark relates, that Jesus coming into 
Galilee, "preached the Gospel of the kingdom 
of God, saying, The time is fulfilled, and the 
kingdom of God is at hand ; repent ye, and 
believe the Gospel V It will doubtless occur 



a Mark i. 14, 15. See also Matt. iv. 17. Luke iv. 15. 
John iv. 45. 



90 



Lecture IV. 



to every one, who hears these words, how similar 
they are to the tenor of John's preaching in 
Judea, and probably, therefore, to his more recent 
preaching in Galilee. Yet it is never said, by 
any Evangelist, that " the glad tidings of the 
kingdom" were preached by the Baptist ; for 
the proclamation of the Gospel itself was peculiar 
to that office, to which Jesus was anointed ; as 
he himself expressly stated shortly afterwards in 
the synagogue at Nazareth. Both Jesus and 
his forerunner announced the approaching esta- 
blishment of the kingdom of heaven ; and urged 
it as a motive to repentance. But Jesus advanced 
still further, when he said, "The time is ful- 
filled, and the kingdom of God is at hand/' 
We may suppose that he enlarged upon those 
"signs of the times/' which, when compared 
with the intimations given by the prophets, 
shewed that the season marked out by them for 
the advent of him whom they predicted had 
fully come. The kingdom of God was there- 
fore not only near at hand ; but the glad tidings 
of it, which explained its nature and object, as 
well as its approach, were then to be proclaimed, 
Jesus himself was the anointed herald, of whom 
John had already said to his disciples, that he 
"spoke the words of God, and testified that 
which he had seen and heard, and that God had 
given all things into his hand." Jesus, therefore^ 



Lecture IV. 



97 



did not only continue to urge the call to repent- 
ance, but also demanded a ready belief of the 
glad tidings which he proclaimed. But, because 
his hearers had erroneous views of the nature 
of the Messiah's kingdom, he did not on that 
account adopt another term ; for the term itself 
was perfectly proper. It was his principal aim to 
lead them to affix right ideas to it, and to attend 
also to the other characteristics by which the 
future dispensation, and its author, had been 
described. 

Probably the discourse at Nazareth is only 
a specimen of the method which he adopted in 
other places. But we know that there, at least, 
he taught his hearers to expect and seek after 
spiritual blessings ; and to consider him as ap- 
pointed to proclaim the offer, and to accomplish 
the bestowment, of them. Having, on the sab- 
bath-day, stood up to read in the synagogue of 
his native city, he found the place of the prophet 
Isaiah, where it is written, "The Spirit of the 
Lord is upon me ; because he hath anointed me 
to preach the Gospel to the poor ; he hath sent 
me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliver- 
ance to the captives, and recovering of sight to 
the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 
to preach the acceptable year of the LordV 



Luke iv. 16 — <22. 

G 



Tsai, lxi. 1 — 3. 



98 



Lecture IV. 



Well might Jesus begin to say, when he had 
closed the book, ff This day is this Scripture 
fulfilled in your ears." For never did circum- 
stances more accurately correspond to prophetic 
description, than the condescension, doctrine, and 
beneficent works of Jesus to these anticipations 
of Isaiah. I say, anticipations; for surely Isaiah 
cc spoke not these things of himself, but of some 
other" and greater man ; even of him, who was 
the fruitful and animating theme both of himself 
and all the other prophets. From this Scripture, 
therefore, may we begin and preach Jesus as the 
Christ ; that is, as the word signifies, as the 
Anointed ; as him " upon whom is the Spirit of 
Jehovah, because Jehovah hath anointed him to 
preach the Gospel to the poor, and the acceptable 
year of the Lord" to those whom he, as the Son, 
can make free, and translate them into the glorious 
liberty of the children of God. 

If, then, we listen to the statements, which our 
Lord and Master advanced respecting himself, 
principally by applying to himself the predictions 
of the prophets, we cannot be ignorant that he 
claimed a divine commission, as cc anointed with 
the Holy Ghost and with power/' to give liberty, 
light, and salvation, to all that feel, and lament, 
and acknowledge, the slavery, darkness, and peril 
of sin — that he came in that fulness of the 
season which God had foreseen, appointed, and 



Lecture IV. 



99 



prepared, and which the prophets had circum- 
stantially described ; — and that he was no other 
than the promised Messiah, the desire of all 
nations, the Saviour of the world. Of the cer- 
tainty of these momentous and consolatory truths 
God hath, "by many infallible proofs/' "given 
assurance unto all men ;"■ and it will shortly be 
our endeavour to point out to you, and to elucidate, 
several passages of our Lord's discourses, in which 
he appeals to, and enforces, the evidences of his 
divine authority. 

But allow me, before I conclude this Lecture, 
to call your attention to one remarkable circum- 
stance, with regard to these appeals and reasonings 
of our Lord. They were not advanced in the 
earliest part of his ministry ; nor at all, until the 
opposition and objections of the Jews was excited 
against him ; and scarcely ever publicly but upon 
such occasions. And those particulars, the public 
notice of which was not called forth in this manner, 
were pointed out to his disciples in private, more 
especially towards the close of his ministry. But 
both at the beginning, and during the whole 
course, of his ministry, the evidences themselves 
were furnished in great abundance. For while 
he proclaimed in their synagogues a the glad 
tidings of the kingdom/' he also ec healed all 
manner of sickness, and all manner of disease 
among the people." But he left these mighty 

g 2 



100 



Lecture IV. 



works, and the other divine attestations to his 
mission, to speak for themselves ; until either a 
denial of his claims rendered it necessary to ap- 
peal to them, or cavils against the reality and 
conclusiveness of those evidences led him to refute 
the objectors. He did not, like the Arabian im- 
postor, boldly claim a divine mission for which no 
sufficient proof appeared ; nor did he vauntingly 
magnify and set off some seeming evidence, which, 
without such a special notice, might never have 
been observed. He was too well aware of the 
justice of his pretensions, of the publicity and 
splendour of his miracles, of the notoriety of 
the prophecies, and of their manifest fulfilment in 
himself, to think any such laboured and suspicious 
proceeding necessary. He was ready to allow 
that sufficient evidence might justly be expected ; 
and, accordingly, one of his earliest remarks on 
this subject, was that which he made previously to 
his cure of the nobleman's son at Capernaum ; 
(c Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not 
believe 3 ." Signs and wonders he did therefore 
perform ; but I find not that he expressly con- 
nected his miracles with his doctrine, so as to 
argue with those who saw the miracles, until he 
wrought the cure of theparalytic b , for the purpose 
of proving his right to say to him, u Son, thy sins 



y John iv. 48. b Matth. ix. 4—6. 



Lectuke IV. 



101 



be forgiven thee/' But it was not until the suc- 
ceeding passover, that he again thought it neces- 
sary to argue with those who saw and heard him ; 
and then it was, that, being brought before the 
ruling powers for a supposed breach of the sab- 
bath, he delivered that eloquent and comprehensive 
defence of his mission, the whole of which will be 
reviewed in our future Lectures, and the first por- 
tion of which will form the next subject of our 
consideration. 

The subjects which have been brought before 
your notice this day are fruitful in topics of prac- 
tical instruction. 1 might take occasion to caution 
you against the prejudices and hardness of heart, 
which may lead you to be offended in Jesus, by 
setting before you the unbelief of the people of 
Nazareth, and that murderous attempt, from which 
a miracle only preserved our Lord. I might en- 
large upon the warnings which he at that time 
gave them, lest, by a just retribution for the non- 
improvement of religious privileges, they should 
lose them, and others only be benefited by them. 
I might recommend to you the candour, the ear- 
nestness, and the faith of the Samaritans ; and 
shew what encouragement may be derived from 
observing the condescension which our Lord ma- 
nifested to their infirmities, and the readiness with 
which he staid with them, and instructed them. 
I might exhort you to ff ask of him, who will 



102 



Lecture IV. 



freely give you to drink of that water of life/' by 
which the thirst after sin and worldly gratifications 
is quenched, and the thirst after righteousness 
satisfied. I might entreat you to listen to him, 
who preaches "to all nations the glad tidings of 
great joy, that unto them is born a Saviour, Christ 
the Lord." And I might, in fine, recommend to your 
serious consideration that exhortation with which 
Jesus accompanied his proclamation; "Repent ye, 
and believe the Gospel reminding you also of 
the necessity, the nature, and the genuine effects 
of such a '* repentance towards God, and of such 
a faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." But time only 
permits me to express an earnest desire, that none 
of these considerations may be forgotten in your 
private meditation, and that they may be made the 
subjects of earnest prayer. For scriptural know- 
ledge will little profit us, unless we are thereby 
made " wise unto salvation unless the things 
which " happened unto others for ensamples, and 
which are written for our admonition/' are suffered 
to operate for our warning, and encouragement, 
and guidance ; unless we know, and also are esta- 
blished in the love and belief of those truths, which, 
in the sacred pages, have been so clearly revealed. 
It will little avail you to receive the best in- 
structions, and in your judgment to be convinced 
of the certainty of them, unless " with the heart 
you believe unto righteousness, make confession 



Lecture IV. 



103 



with the mouth unto salvation/' and "in all things 
adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour." " Where- 
fore, give diligence to make your calling and elec- 
tion sure ; for if ye do these things, if ye add to 
your faiths virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge ; and 
to knowledge, temperance ; and to temperance, 
patience ; and to patience, godliness ; and to god- 
liness, brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kind- 
ness, charity ; if these things be in you^ and 
abound, they shall make you that ye shall neither 
be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; and so ye shall never fall ; 
but an entrance be ministered to you abundantly 
into his everlasting kingdom a ." And soon will he 
accomplish that prayer which we offer, when we 
assemble round the opened grave. Soon will he 
u accomplish the number of his elect, and hasten 
his kingdom/' Soon will the time of his second 
coming be fulfilled. Soon will each of us be con- 
signed to that grave, in which we must await the 
summons of that day. " The kingdom of God," 
with which our final redemption shall draw nigh, 
"is near at hand. Repent ye therefore, and be- 
lieve the Gospel." 



a 2 Pet. i. 5—11. 



LECTURE V. 



the occasion of the discourse recorded in 
st. john's fifth chapter, and the persons to 

whom it was addressed. illustration and 

analysis of the first portion of it. 



St. John V. 17—20. 

Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and 
I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill 
him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but 
said also that God was his Father, making himself 
equal with God. Then anszoered Jesus, and said unto 
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do 
nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: 
for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the 
Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and 
sheweth him all things that himself doeth. 

In the concluding words of our text our Lord 
commences that important discourse, which first 
suggested to the Lecturer's own mind the subject 
to which he has solicited your attention ; which 
guided him in the formation of his plan ; and the 
successive portions of which, in their order, will 
come under review in this, and in many subse- 
quent Lectures. Our first endeavour will there- 
fore be ? to explain the circumstances which called 



Lecture V. 



105 



forth this enlarged statement of the claims of our 
Lord ; especially as our attention will thereby also 
be directed to some other declarations, which he 
made on occasions of a like nature. For these 
several statements mutually illustrate each other ; 
and also suggest some reflections, which are, per- 
haps, peculiarly appropriate to the day on which 
we are assembled 1 . 

The discourse in question was delivered very 
shortly after the cure, which our Lord had miracu- 
lously wrought at the pool of Bethesda, upon one 
who, for a period of thirty-eight years, had been 
afflicted with an infirmity, and was then waiting 
beside the pool, that, upon the troubling of the 
waters, he might step in, and be healed. Jesus 
not only healed him immediately, but also directed 
him to take up the bed on which he lay, and to 
carry it thence to his own house. This procedure 
afforded a full and public demonstration of the 
reality of the cure ; nor did the man hesitate to 
comply with the injunction. And when he was 
told, that, as cc it was the sabbath-day, it was not 
lawful for him to carry his bed/' because the Jews 
refused, even with superstitious scrupulosity, to 
carry any burthen on the sabbath, the man deemed 
it a sufficient defence to answer ; (( He that made 
me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy 



a This Lecture was delivered on Easter-Day- 



106 



Lecture V. 



bed, and walk." Yet, until he was afterwards 
accosted by Jesus in the temple, he had not 
known that it was Jesus who had made him 
whole % because Jesus had, at the time, suddenly 
(c conveyed himself away, a multitude being in 
that place." When however he thus became 
acquainted with the person of his benefactor, cc he 
departed, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus, 
which had made him whole." 

The Evangelist then adds, that cc the Jews did, 
therefore, persecute Jesus, and sought to slay 
him, because he had done these things on the 
sabbath-day." It is very obvious, that this is not 
to be understood of the attempts of isolated indi- 
viduals, much less of any ebullition of popular 
indignation ; but of a legal procedure commenced 
against Jesus, by persons in authority; with 
whom, of course, it rested, to enforce that provision 
of the Mosaic law, which assigned capital punish- 
ment to a breach of the sabbath. A prosecution 
was doubtless commenced against him by the 
Sanhedrim, upon the information of the man who 
had been cured ; as the original word, used in this 
place by the Evangelist, distinctly informs us a . And 
though it is observed, that cc the Jews persecuted 
Jesus, and sought to kill him," yet the same 
phrase is used in many other passages of the 



a Kai ltd tovto EAIOKON rdv 'hjcrovv ol 'lovoawi, V. l6. 



Lecture V. 



10< 



Gospels, where we cannot properly understand it 
of any others, than of the men in authority among 
the Jews. Thus we are told, that cc the Jews sent 
priests and Levites from Jerusalem to John, to ask 
him, who art thou V It belonged to the Sanhedrim, 
officially, to make such an enquiry. — We are told 
that cc Jesus would not walk in Jewry, because 
the Jews sought to kill him and that though 
there was at that time cc much murmuring among 
the people concerning him, no man spake openly 
of him, for fear of the Jews." And the reason of 
this sufficiently appears, when we read, that after- 
wards Ci the chief priests and Pharisees had given 
a commandment, that if any man knew where he 
were, he should shew it, that they might take 
him and that, even at an earlier period, (< the 
Jews had agreed already, that if any man did 
confess that he was the Christ, he should be put 
out of the synagogue." — Again we are told, that 
"Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews, 
that it was expedient that one man should die for 
the people." Caiaphas was the high priest that 
same year ; and we know that the advice specified 
was given at :: a council gathered by the chief 
priests and Pharisees" after the raising of Lazarus, 
in order to consider what must be done to prevent 
the national danger, which they thought likely to 
result from the growing popularity of Jesus b . 



b John i. 19. vii. 1, 13. ix. 22. xi. 47 — 5J. 



108 



Lecture V. 



There can, therefore, be no reasonable doubt, that 
this discourse of our Lord was a defence of his 
conduct delivered before the ruling authorities at 
Jerusalem. 

Behold, Jesus, then, having done a miracle, at 
which, as he afterwards observed, " they all mar- 
velled V summoned before the rulers of the Jews 
to answer for his life, " because he had done these 
things on the sabbath-day." Afterwards, when 
f£ he was oppressed and afflicted/' and brought 
before the same assembly, he avowed himself 
to be the Christ; and having referred to the 
prophecy of Daniel, respecting the future glory 
of the Son of man, he assented to their in- 
ference from thence, that he thereby claimed 
to be the Son of God. At this time he did not, 
in so many words, declare that he was the Christ ; 
for "his hour was not yet come." But he 
declared, and that fully and openly, his claim to 
those attributes, which their Scriptures ascribed 
to the Lord's anointed ; nay, he largely unfolded 
and reasoned upon them ; for this was yet " the 
day, in which Jerusalem might have learnt the 
things which made for her peace, before they 
were hid from her eyes." — " My Father worketh 
hitherto, and I work," was all that he at first 
answered to those things, which they witnessed 



a John vii. 21. 



\ 



Lecture V. 



109 



against him ; and he left the mysterious and 
unhesitating* assertion to work such effect as it 
might. They conceived that he had now, ec not 
only broken the sabbath/' but spoken blasphemy. 
And, assuredly, we can put no obvious and con- 
sistent sense upon the words, but that which they 
put upon them, viz. that 6C he called God his own 
proper Father, making himself equal with GodV 5 
For he thereby explicitly declared, that his own 
performance of miraculous works of mercy was to 
be placed in the same rank, and was defensible 
upon the same grounds, as the daily exercise of 
the bountiful Providence of the Father of the 
Universe, to whom every day is, in this respect, 
alike. If he were not cc equal with the Father, 
as touching his Godhead/' and, even as the Son 
of man j acting in perfect unison with him, then, 
according to the injunctions of their law, they 
now justly cc sought the more to kill him/' on 
account of the words which he had spoken. But 
if it were otherwise, then he who was the Son of 
the Father, in a sense in which no other being 
is, could justly appeal to the example of his Father; 
and he who was, equally with him, Lord of the 
sabbath, might, if need were, dispense with its 
observance. Then was he proved to be authorized 



b lt irarepa 'l^iov eXeye tov Qeov, 'Icrov eavTov iromv tw 
v. 18. 



110 



Lecture V. 



to give such a command to the impotent man, in 
order to shew his power over the sabbath, though 
it appeared to them a violation of it. <f If they 
did not believe him, they might have believed the 
works;" and both this miracle, and all that he had 
before wrought, proved that " the Father was in 
him, and he in the Father/' To these works, 
and to the various other evidences of his authority, 
he appealed in his discourse on this occasion ; 
and they could justify no other conclusion, than 
that the Father had sent him. The rulers, whom 
he addressed, were thereby so far silenced, and 
convinced, as not to venture to put him to death 
as a blasphemer ; either because they had not yet 
fully steeled their hearts against all evidence ; or 
because they feared the people, and shrunk, for 
a time, from the unhallowed attempt to put him to 
death, and thus fill up the measure of their fathers' 
crimes. 

At the succeeding feast of tabernacles, when 
Jesus referred to this wish to compass his death, 
some of the people seem to have been aware that 
their rulers entertained such a design ; though 
others professed, at least, to be ignorant of it, and 
answered, cc Thou hast a devil ; who goeth about 
to kill thee?" Jesus took occasion to remind them 
of this miracle, which he wrought at the preceding 
passover, and of his arraignment in consequence 
of it ; and, then also, he defended his conduct with 



Lecture V. 



in 



regard to the supposed breach of the sabbath, 
though upon grounds somewhat different. "Jesus 
answered and said unto them, I have done one 
work,, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave 
unto you circumcision,, (not because it is of Moses, 
but of the fathers,) and ye on the sabbath-day 
circumcise a man, If a man on the sabbath-day 
receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should 
not be broken ; are ye angry at me, because I 
have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath- 
day ? Judge not according to appearance, but 
judge righteous judgment." — The incident here 
referred to seems to have been the first instance of 
the disregard of the sabbath imputed to our Lord. 
But it is remarkable, how many of our Lord's 
most signal miracles were wrought on the sabbath- 
day. And we know how frequently he thereby 
gave umbrage to the Jews, and occasioned both 
many of the objections, which were expressed to 
him when present, and also the insinuations, which 
were circulated among the people to his disadvan- 
tage. But we should ever bear in mind the 
sanction which his conduct in this respect received 
from the miracles themselves. On one occasion, 
when "the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, 
whether he would heal on the sabbath-day, that 
they might find an accusation against him/' he 



a John vii. 21—24. 



112 



Lecture V. 



wrought a miracle,, under circumstances of pecu- 
liar force and significancy. He commanded the 
man with the withered hand, publicly to stand 
forth in the midst of the synagogue ; he then 
entered upon the disclosure of principles specially 
directed against their secret reasonings, opinions, 
and intentions ; and lastly, by causing the stretch- 
ing out of the withered hand to be attended by 
the complete restoration of its muscular power, 
he did, indeed, prove to them that he, the Son of 
man, whom they had summoned to their bar, was 
" Lord even of the sabbath-day \" As such, he 
has, indeed, connected with the sabbath a portion 
of ec that liberty wherewith he maketh us free/' 
But while we refuse to be ce entangled again in the 
yoke of bondage/' let us not break through all 
restraint. Let us remember, that, by establishing 
the exceptions, he has proved the rule with respect 
to sabbatical observances ; that we have no 
countenance from him to venture beyond the 
limits which he has marked out; and that he has 
marked them so definitely, that ce he that runs may 
read." If any one here present has had doubts re- 
specting the moral obligation, and the preceptive 
detail, of sabbatical observances ; if any one's 
conscience suggests that he may be guilty as con- 
cerning this thing ; let him peruse, compare, and 



a Luke yi. 1—11. 



Lecture V. 



1J3 



study, all that our Lord did and taught respecting 
it, the very copious records of which form so 
prominent a feature in the Gospel history ; and 
I doubt not that he will derive the fullest satis- 
faction, and the clearest light and direction, on 
a subject most essentially connected with the 
prosperity of personal, family, and national re- 
ligion. Our Lord has summed up the whole 
doctrine respecting it in two short but expressive 
apothegms. Each of these rescues the subject 
from Pharisaical superstition^ but each also en- 
forces the proper observance of the great and 
original precept, which was coeval with the crea- 
tion of mankind ; and the latter will well prepare 
us to enter on the consideration of our Lord's 
discourse before the Sanhedrim. 

" The sabbath was made for man, not man for 
the sabbath/' It is a day, the observance of which, 
whatever be its use, cannot be supposed necessary 
to the absolute and indefectible glory either of 
our Creator, or of our Redeemer. Man, therefore, 
was not created merely that he might observe the 
sabbath ; for it was instituted after the time of 
man's creation, and because he existed ; and its 
design and utility result from the relation between 
him^ and his God. By considering, therefore, 
both the present circumstances and the future 
destination of man, let the command be inter- 
preted. It is designed for the full benefit of 

H 



114 



Lecture V. 



a creature, living in this world as a partaker of 
flesh and blood ; surrounded by the present claims 
of time and sense,, and of social and terrestrial 
connections ; but who also is destined for a better 
world, for spiritual blessedness,, for an eternal 
portion, for communion with " the general as- 
sembly and Church of the first-born which are 
written in heaven, with God the Judge of all, 
with the spirits of just men made perfect, and 
with Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant." 
Conformable to both these considerations must 
be our observance of the sabbath. Go and 
learn what this means, " I will have mercy, 
and not sacrifice," and you will see that, while 
God requires works of piety, he no longer demands 
them in the particular form of public prayer and 
praise, if his providence has either placed us in 
circumstances where the exercise of them is 
clearly impracticable, or has presented to us urgent 
claims for the performance of acts of laborious 
and persevering benevolence to others. But still 
must we be cc fervent in spirit, serving the Lord 
though " he that loveth God, must love his brother 
also," and te provide for him things that are need- 
ful for the body." — For go and learn also, that 
ec the sabbath is made for man," that God hath 
blessed it, and sanctified it, and required that it 
be observed, and that its holy design be remem- 
bered. And we shall then see, that we must 



Lecture V. 



115 



esteem it <e a delight, the holy of the Lord, ho- 
nourable." — We shall then be convinced, that on 
this day we must <e honour him, not doing our 
own ways, nor speaking our own words, but 
delighting ourselves in the Lord." Then, <c for 
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it/' we shall 
be cc blessed in our deed," 

Let the mind of a conscientious man be im- 
pressed and directed by such views, and he will 
be no unskilful casuist in this matter. This is, 
indeed, a day of rest ; it is a day on which we are 
to rest from our worldly employments. But it is 
SO; principally, in order that we may rest from 
worldly cares, and sinful desires ; that we may 
repose in God, and diligently and earnestly pre- 
pare for an eternal sabbath of perfect holiness and 
bliss. It is true also that our Lord has conveyed 
to us those views of this important subject, which 
are usually and rightly summed up in the observa- 
tion, that works of piety, necessity, and charity, are 
lawful on the sabbath, and not a breach of its 
rest. But it were earnestly to be wished, that 
Christians, while they condemn, as justly they 
may, a Judaical observance of the sabbath, had 
not often run into the opposite extreme, and used 
their Christian liberty in a manner, which their 
Lord and Master would have condemned, even 
more severely than that merely ceremonial ob- 
servance, which the erroneous traditions of the 
Jews had recommended and sanctioned. 

h 2 



110 



Lectuhe V. 



But the most important principle yet remains to 
be noticed ; for it declares to us what we have so 
much need to call to mind, the sanction of the 
commandment. — (C The Son of man is Lord, even 
of the sabbath-day." I doubt not that you have 
already referred this declaration to the precepts 
and decisions which we have been reviewing; 
and to the miracles, with which they were accom- 
panied, and by which their authority was esta- 
blished. I doubt not that you have already antici- 
pated the remark, that, as on this day, the Son of 
man rose from the dead ; and also, that on that 
same day, which we, in imitation of the Apostles, 
call " the Lord's day/' our Lord did, generally, at 
least, shew himself to his disciples after his resur- 
rection ; that on that day he poured out the seven- 
fold gifts of his Spirit ; and, to his beloved disciple, 
" being in the Spirit on the Lord's day/' shewed 
the things which should be hereafter. Therefore 
do we, ' in imitation of the first followers of 
Christ, assemble for public worship on the day on 
which our Saviour rose/ that we may thereon 
" continue stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, and 
in breaking of bread, and in prayers." But this 
authoritative claim of our Master and only 
Saviour, has a much more ancient original, and 
includes a much more extensive obligation. Why 
was the sabbath instituted ? " Because that on 
the seventh day God rested from all his work 
which he created and made; and, therefore, blessed 



Lecture V. 



117 



that day, and sanctified it." And who rested from 
his work, but he that made the worlds ? And by 
whom, and for whom, were " all things created, 
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, whether 
visible or invisible ; and by whom do iC all things 
consist, but by him who is the image of the invi- 
sible God, the first-born of every creature who 
is before all things, and, therefore, heir of all 
things ? And who is he but the Son of God ; the 
same that is also styled the Son of man ; who 
* f was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and de- 
clared to us the Father, whom no man hath seen 
or can see;" and received of his Father the pro- 
mise of the Holy Spirit : to whom, as the Son of 
man, is given, according to prophecy, dominion, 
and glory, and a kingdom ; and who will one day 
come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great 
glory ? The Son of man is, therefore, Lord of 
the sabbath, as the Creator and upholder of the 
universe ; as the angel of the covenant to his people 
in the wilderness; as the Mediator of the new 
covenant; as the first-begotten from the dead; as 
the head over all things to his Church ; as the 
judge of quick and dead. His is the command- 
ment ; he has imposed, and ratified, and declared, 
our obligations to this reasonable service ; and to 
him we must give account. 

Thus sacred is i( this day, which the Lord hath 
made." Thus are we bound to tc rejoice and be 



118 



Lecture V. 



glad in it." Thus intimately is it connected with 
all that God has done for man, and with all that 
he has revealed of himself to man ; sanctioned 
and recommended^ as it is, by all that is great in 
the Creator, merciful in the Redeemer, and con- 
solatory in the Sanctifier. Thus does the ob- 
servance of it rest, not merely on the narrow and 
slippery basis of human recommendation, and ge- 
neral expediency, but on the extensive, solid, and 
immoveable, foundation of divine and explicit 
authority. 

We have not in this lengthened discussion been 
wandering from the principal subject of this day's 
Lecture. For it has been stated to you, that the 
sublime discourse, to the consideration of which 
we must now proceed, was a defence made by our 
Lord^ against the accusation that he had violated 
that sabbath. We shall now, I trust, be prepared 
more fully to understand, and more duly to appre- 
ciate, the exalted claims which he therein advances 
as the Son of the Father, acting in his mediatorial 
capacity as the Son of man ; and which we have, 
in fact, already deduced in a great measure from 
other parts of his instructions on this subject, 
compared with the general tenor of Scripture. 
The views which have in this manner come before 
us, will probably be thought to illustrate the words 
with which our Lord commenced his answer to the 
objections of the Jews, " My Father worketh 



Lecture V. 



119 



hitherto, and I work." That remark clearly 
shewed them what was the nature of the claim 
which he advanced. And he was so far from recti- 
fying their interpretation,, (or misinterpretation, 
as some would fain have it,) that he proceeded 
more fully to unfold his claim ; and to state all its 
bearings, circumstances, and consequences, even 
until the consummation of all things. 

cc Then answered Jesus, and said unto them, 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do 
nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father 
do; for what things soever he doeth, these also 
doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth 
the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself 
doeth ; and he will shew him greater works than 
these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father 
raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so 
the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the 
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all 
judgment unto the Son ; that all men should 
honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. 
He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the 
Father, which hath sent him." 

These words remind us of the statement which 
our Lord made to Nicodemus, that " he spoke 
that which he knew, and testified that which he 
had seen ; for that he, who alone had ascended 
into heaven, even the Son of man, which is in 
heaven, could testify of heavenly things," He 



120 



Lecture V. 



now fully unfolds to those,, who conceived that 
his recent declaration was presumptuously spoken, 
the origin, object, and extent of his commission as 
the Son of man ; of which his authority over the 
sabbath was but a part. He announces his per- 
fect acquaintance with all the counsels and pro- 
ceedings of the Father, in consequence of the 
love of the Father to him. And though he was 
now acting* in subordination to the Father, as sent 
by him to execute a divine commission ; and 
though he " did nothing of himself, but what he 
saw the Father do yet his knowledge was not 
more extensive than the authority committed to 
him. For as " the Father sheweth him all things 
that himself doeth," so also " what things soever 
the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son like- 
wise. " Hence, if such were his authority and 
power, it was no presumptuous statement which he 
had advanced, when he said, " My Father work- 
eth hitherto, and I work/' Nay, " the Father 
would shew him greater works than those," at 
which they had already marvelled, that ce they 
might marvel" the more. For though the mira- 
culous works which he had already done, furnished 
such evidence of his official character and au- 
thority, as ought to exempt him from the charge 
of unjustly asserting a claim to a parity of opera- 
tion in conjunction with the Father; yet they 
would see him " raise the dead and quicken them ;? 



Lecture V. 



121 



not, as the prophets of the Old Testament, by 
external and visible applications, through the in- 
strumentality of which his Father then raised 
them, but evidently by his own power, and at his 
own will. 

But our Lord is not here principally intending 
to speak of his eternal generation, of his pre-exist- 
ence, and of his glory with the Father. Those 
doctrines are in other places distinctly revealed, 
and they alone are consistent with the statements 
here made. But Jesus is immediately describing 
the authority and work of the Son of man, as 
appearing among men in the form of a servant, to 
finish the work which the Father gave him to do; as 
acting therefore in a subordinate capacity, though 
in unison with the Father ; as sent to ratify and 
promulgate the new covenant, of which he was the 
visible Mediator, with the same authority, which 
belonged to those dispensations of the Old Testa- 
ment, which were conducted more expressly in 
the name of the Father. Even then, indeed, the 
Father was employing the agency of the Son, 
though it was not, as yet, so openly announced. 
But now, as our Lord stated, and as was evinced 
both by his past miracles, and by the " greater 
works" of which he spoke, " the Father, who 
himself judgeth no man, had committed all judicial 
authority to the Son." And as he now cc spoke 
by his Son," therefore was the Son to be obeyed 



122 



Lecture V. 



with equal readiness, and to be received with 
equal honour. For the very end and design of 
this revelation was, cc that all men might honour 
the Son, even as they honour the Father;" a 
statement, which, although it applies to Jesus 
appearing in the likeness of man, yet would not 
consistently be applicable to any other, than to 
one who is also the Son of God, in a sense in 
which no other son of man is so. In fact, Jesus 
announced ail that we have yet noticed, before he 
spoke of himself under any other character than 
the Son of the Father; although he afterwards 
states, that " authority is given to him to execute 
judgment also, because he is the Son of man." 
In fact, it was in consequence of his becoming 
incarnate, and therefore visible to us, and a par- 
taker of our nature, that he proclaimed and pro- 
cured to us the blessings of salvation. And there- 
fore Jesus, speaking in his own person, adds the 
words ; (C Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that 
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent 
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into 
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." 
This is a declaration which Jesus had already 
made to Nicodemus ; and which apprizes those, 
who admit the authority of Jesus, of the nature of 
the salvation which he offers, and of the means by 
which it is to be obtained. 

Our Lord proceeds, in the same solemn manner. 



Lecture V. 



to make a further annunciation. cc Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now 
is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son 
of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the 
Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the 
Son to have life in himself; and hath given him 
authority to execute judgment also, because he is 
the Son of man/' The concluding words of this 
passage immediately introduce a reference to the 
general resurrection. In the former part of it 
he refers, either to those who were raised from 
the dead in the subsequent part of his ministry ; 
or to those saints " which arose, and appeared to 
many, after his resurrection or, as is more 
closely connected with the last verse, and more 
fully illustrated by the prophecies of the Old Testa- 
ment, to the raising of the world from a state of 
spiritual death to spiritual life ; or, it may be, to 
all these, for in all these is it fully verified. 

But I am aware that there is another and an 
awakening interpretation of these words, which 
considers them as parallel to several difficult and 
mysterious passages in the prophetic writings, in 
other discourses of our Lord, in the Epistles, and 
in the book of Revelation. I allude, of course, to 
the literal interpretation of the expression, the 
presence of the Lord Jesus 1 and to that event, 



a Matt. xxiv. 3. 1 Cor. xv. 23. 1 Thess. ii. 19. 2Thess. i. 9- 



124 



Lecture V. 



or course of events/ which St. John predicts, by 
stating*, that the righteous " shall live and reign 
with Christ a thousand years, though the rest of 
the dead shall not live again until the thousand 
years are finished." <c This/' adds he, <c is the first 
resurrection V If any such interpretation, whe- 
ther literal or figurative, be correct ; if there is 
any consistency in the language of prophecy, by 
which we can as yet attain to its true interpreta- 
tion ; the event predicted is probably near, even 
at the doors, to us who live in these latter days. 
Time only can determine this. But, assuredly, 
whatever be our views of this matter, C( blessed 
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrec- 
tion ; on such the second death has no power b ." 
For we cannot doubt, whether any one, who does 
not now " rise and walk in newness of life," can 
have any part or lot in such blessings. None but 
those, " who do God's commandments," can have 
any "right to the tree of life 0 /' none else can 
look forward, with hope or complacency, to that 
awful and final transaction, of which our Lord 
next speaks, in words, respecting the interpreta- 
tion of which we can entertain no doubt. 

cc Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in 
the which all that are in the graves shall hear the 
voice of the Son of man, and shall come forth ; 



a Rev. xx. 4 — 6. b Ibid. xx. 6*. c Ibid. xxii. 14. 



Lecture V. 



125 



they that have done good, unto the resurrection of 
life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resur- 
rection of damnation." These are, indeed, deci- 
sive words, and they speak of a decisive day ; and 
we know that " God hath appointed a day, in 
which he will judge the world in righteousness, by 
that man, whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath 
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath 
raised him from the dead." That event, which 
gives us so certain and so awakening an assurance, 
we are, this day more especially, commemorating. 
On this day we are placed, as it were, on another 
Pisgah, from whence we can both look back on 
scenes that are past, and on scenes yet to come, 
both of which alike display the wonderful works 
of God, both in mercy and in judgment, such as 
may attract the attention of the dullest eye, and 
arouse the feelings of the most sluggish heart. 
On this day we celebrate that event, which de- 
clared the acceptance of the ransom paid for our 
redemption, which shewed the triumph of the 
Saviour over sin and death, the curse and the 
grave ; which has laid the sure foundation for our 
fondest hopes, and has made us rejoice in the 
clear promise and earnest of our future inheritance 
of cc the purchased possession." "Thanks, there- 
fore, be unto God for his unspeakable gift for 
" he giveth us the victory, through our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 5 ' The sabbath is ever a joyful, 



126 



Lecture V. 



though a sacred, day ; on which we may call to 
mind all that is consolatory, as well as all that is 
awful, in Revelation. For we celebrate it in 
commemoration of our Saviour's resurrection, by 
which he was cc declared to be the Son of God, 
with power." And every argument which evinces 
to us the certainty of the event, also demonstrates 
to us the certainty of that declaration, that ff he 
that believeth on the Son of God, hath everlasting 
life," but also, on the contrary, that " he that be- 
lieveth not, is condemned already, because he 
hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten 
Son of God." Though, therefore, I wish not to 
check the feelings of gratitude and ec triumph in 
Christ," but to encourage and excite them ; yet, 
referring to those last cited words of our Lord, in 
which he speaks of his coming to judgment, I 
would say in the language of our excellent Light- 
foot, tc I shall leave it to him, who hears and 
reads them, to make the most feeling and dread 
commentary upon them that he can, towards the 
awing of his heart to a preparedness against that 
dreadful time when it shall come a ." 



a Lightfoot's Harmony, in loco. 



HULSEAN LECTURES 

FOR 1821. 

Part II. 
LECTURES VI — XVIL 
— 0— 



REASONINGS OF OUR LORD RESPECTING THE EVIDENCES 
WHICH HE APPEALED IN CONFIRMATION OF HIS CLAIMS, 



LECTURE VI. 



OUR lord's recapitulation of his claims con- 
nected WITH A REFERENCE TO THE PRESUMPTION 
IN THEIR FAVOUR FROM HIS NOT SEEKING HIS OWN 
WILL. 

St. John V. 30, 31. 

I can of mine oivn self do nothing; as I hear, I judge; 
and my judgment is just ; because I seek not mine own 
will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. 
If I bear zoitness of myself my witness is not true. 

In these words our Lord recapitulates the declara- 
tions made in the opening of his discourse ; and, 
while he in some measure enlarges them, he also 
passes on to notice those considerations, which 
evinced the justice of his claims, by first stating 
the presumption in their favour, which his whole 
life, conduct, and doctrine, suggested ; and then 
the principle upon which plain and positive proofs 
were provided for their complete establishment. 
The principle, to which we here allude, is laid 
down in the conclusion of our text. On a different 
occasion, our Lord stated another, which is, in 
expression, the reverse of this ; which, therefore, 
it will be expedient to compare with it, in 

I 



130 



Lecture VI. 



order that the force and application of each may 
be ascertained. 

It being our object to consider the question 
of our Lord's divine mission in the precise point 
of view, in which his own discourses present it, 
we shall proceed on this occasion, first, to prepare 
the way for our future inquiries by the exami- 
nation of the two principles which we have 
noticed ; secondly, to consider the statements re- 
peated, and enlarged, in our text; and, thirdly, 
the presumption therein also noticed in favour 
of the truth of those statements. 

I. The principle laid down in the text is thus 
expressed ; ce If I bear witness of myself, my 
witness is not true." This is briefly and gene- 
rally expressed, without noticing the limitation, 
which it obviously admits and requires. We do 
not, universally, conclude, that every testimony 
so circumstanced is necessarily false ; for we are 
continually acting on the contrary supposition. 
But we are satisfied in so acting, only when we 
are concerned with a person of known veracity, 
when we have no reason to suppose him in- 
fluenced by undue motives, and when he is fully 
qualified, in point of information, to deliver a true 
testimony in the particular instance in question. 
But our unhappy experience of the deceit and 
falsehood of our fellow men, frequently disposes 
us to receive such unsupported testimony with 



Lecture VI. 



131 



caution, even in the ordinary affairs of private 
life ; and, in solemn and judicial proceedings, it 
is considered wholly insufficient. In such cases 
we at least suspend our judgment, unless we 
have independent corroborating testimony. And, 
therefore, our Lord, having granted the equity 
of such a maxim, proceeds, after having stated 
his record respecting himself, to specify some 
separate and independent testimonies in support 
of it. But if none of them had existed, it would 
not therefore follow, that his record was abso- 
lutely and necessarily untrue. On the contrary, 
in this, as well as in many other cases, we must 
learn from the person himself the claims which 
he advances, and then, having ascertained the 
nature and circumstances of the matter in 
question, we proceed to investigate and consider 
that which is offered in confirmation of it. Hence 
the maxim is to be interpreted as applicable, not 
to the absolute truth of the matter in debate, 
but to the grounds upon which we can properly 
judge of its truth, and to the degree of our 
conviction. Our Lord grants, that if he bear 
record of himself, and can offer nothing more 
than his unsupported assertion, his testimony is 
not true; that the maxim, in compliance with 
which they usually rejected such a record, is just, 
proper, and expedient; and, therefore, he ap- 
pealed and referred them to the positive confir- 

i 2 



132 



Lecture VI. 



mation, which God had vouchsafed to supply for 
the satisfaction, even of the most scrupulous 
inquirer. But, at another time, when they cited 
this obvious, and to them familiar, maxim, and 
wished to urge it beyond its proper application, 
he then stated that the contrary maxim is, in some 
circumstances, really admissible, and that it was 
so with respect to himself. Teaching in the 
temple, he declared himself to be "the light of 
the world/' and stated the consequences of such 
a doctrine. " The Pharisees, therefore, said unto 
him, Thou bearest record of thyself, thy record 
is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, 
Though I bear record of myself, yet my record 
is true : for I know whence I came, and whither 
I go ; but ye cannot tell whence I came, nor 
whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh ; I judge 
no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is 
true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father 
that sent me. It is also written in your law, 
that the testimony of two men is true. I am 
one that bear witness of myself, and the Father 
that sent me beareth witness of me\" Our Lord 
here advances some assertions similar to those in 
our text ; and briefly alludes to one of those in- 
dependent testimonies, which, in the subsequent 
part of the discourse more immediately before 



* John viii. 12—19. 



Lecture VI. 



133 



us, he states more fully and distinctly. In the 
former part of it, as we have already seen, he 
is occupied in stating those claims, of the cor- 
rectness of which he, who thus advanced them, 
had the fullest knowledge, inasmuch as he could 
not but ""know whence he came;" and, there- 
fore, if we find his words established by the 
mouth of two or three other witnesses, how can 
we, upon any principles of right judgment, refuse 
our assent to them ? Nay, further, are we not 
often even independently of collateral testimony, 
and before we have at all proceeded to examine 
it, disposed to feel a strong and justifiable 
conviction that we may safely rely upon a single 
testimony ; a conviction which is rather strength- 
ened and matured, than newly produced, by any 
additional confirmation ? Do not the general 
character, conduct, and aims, of an individual, 
and also the matter and manner of his statements, 
frequently induce us to confess, that there is 
a strong previous presumption in his favour, 
which recommends him to our favourable regard, 
patient attention, and unbiassed judgment ? Such 
a presumption in favour of our Lord's divine 
mission and authority will be suggested to every 
candid and serious inquirer, who takes even a 
general view of his character, proceedings, and 
instructions ; and he, who has most fully con- 
sidered these, will most decidedly entertain such a 



134 



Lecture VI. 



presumption. Our Lord himself frequently no- 
ticed the considerations by which it is suggested ; 
and, in our text, he adverts to it, in its natural and 
immediate connexion with what he had previously 
stated respecting his commission. In the two 
remaining divisions of this discourse, it will be our 
aim to illustrate each of these topics in the order 
in which they lie ; principally by citing, or allud- 
ing to, other passages in our Lord's instruction 
and history, which are parallel with them. 

II. We were to consider, secondly, the state- 
ments which are repeated, and somewhat enlarged, 
in our text. — It will be remembered, that, upon 
being arraigned for a supposed violation of the 
sabbath, our Lord took occasion, in his defence, 
to lay before the Jews the whole extent of his 
commission ; within which that particular right, of 
acting as he had done on the sabbath, though im- 
portant and extensive in its connexion, was in fact 
included. He spoke of himself as the Son of God, 
as if God were his own proper Father ; but with 
reference, not so much to his prior and divine 
glory, as to his commission and authority as the 
incarnate Mediator, and as invested with all judicial 
authority, " because he is the Son of man." Hav- 
ing proceeded to state that he was commissioned 
to exercise that authority in all. its bearings, even 
until its last and final exertion, when it would 
really and truly be the judgment of all mankind 



Lecture VI. 



135 



at the general resurrection, he again addresses 
himself to the establishment of his authority, in 
answer to their disbelief of his being invested with 
it. And, in the outset, while he spoke of it as 
derived from, and exercised in, the name of the 
Father, he yet spoke of it as unlimited in extent. 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do 
nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father 
do; for what things soever he doeth, the same 
doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth 
the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself 
doeth/' After having branched out this his com- 
mission into all its bearings, with reference to the 
performance of greater works than he had yet 
done, and having spoken of its final exercise in 
the day when he shall appear no longer as a 
Saviour, but as a judge, he then, in our text, 
restates the source whence he derived his autho- 
rity to execute judgment, and the original and 
character of that judgment itself : (C I can of mine 
own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge; and my 
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own 
will, but the will of the Father which hath sent 
me." — The words are few, but weighty, and im- 
portant. In other parts of our Lord's instructions 
we find statements, the knowledge of which is 
necessary to the full understanding of this pas- 
sage, and which fully elucidate the several particu- 
lars contained in it. 



136 



Lecture VI. 



As "the Son can do nothing of himself/' so 
he states that what he heard of the Father was 
his rule of judgment, and that the judgment ad- 
ministered according to such a rule is just. Hear 
the following similar statements : ff My doctrine 
is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man 
will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine 
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of my- 
self. He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his 
own glory ; but he that seeketh his glory that 
sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteous- 
ness is in him V Our Lord declared to his dis- 
ciples upon another occasion ; " I have called you 
friends; for all things that I have heard of my 
Father, I have made known unto you. If I had 
not come and spoken unto them, they had not 
had sin, but now have they no cloke for their sin. 
He that hateth me, hateth my Father alsoV 
In his concluding prayer, our Lord declares of 
his disciples, cc They have kept thy word. They 
have known that all things whatsoever thou hast 
given me are of thee. For I have given unto 
them the words which thou gavest me ; and they 
havfc received them, and they have believed that 



a Johnvii. 16 — 18. It was after these words that our Lord 
referred to the miracle, which occasioned the discourse now under 
consideration. 

b John xv. 15— -21. 



Lecture VL 



137 



thou didst send meV In connection with the 
last clause,, and in illustration of the connection 
of the words which Christ had heard of the Father, 
with the judgment of the last day, we may now 
cite another passage : cc He that believeth on me, 
believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. 
And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me. 
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever 
believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 
And if any man hear my words, and believe not, 
I judge him not; for I came not to judge the 
world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth 
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that 
judgeth him ; the word that I have spoken, the 
same shall judge him in the last day. For I have 
not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent 
me, he gave me a commandment what I should 
say, and what I should speak. And I know that 
his commandment is life everlasting : whatsoever 
I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto 
me, so I speak d ." We know that our Lord de- 
clared, even before Pilate, that cc to this end he 
was born, and that for this cause he came into 
the world, that he might bear witness to the 
truth." We know also that he declared, that 
cc the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, 



c Johnxvii. 6 — 8. 



d John xii. 44 — 50, 



138 



Lecture VI 



but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for 
many/' And as "the Father loveth the Son/" 
so did the Son declare, "Therefore doth my 
Father love me, because I lay down my life, that 
I might take it again. No man taketh it from 
me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power 
to lay it down, and 1 have power to take it again. 
This commandment have I received from my 
Father V— We may now perceive the purport 
of our Lord when he said, "My meat is to do 
the will of him that sent me, and to finish his 
work." Those words were spoken when our 
Lord was at Samaria, and when he foresaw, and 
was deeply interested in, the successful result of 
his approaching interview with the people of that 
place. And I would fain hope and believe, that, 
however little you may be convinced by any 
reasonings I may have to offer, yet that, as I have 
recited to you the words of our Lord more largely 
than is perhaps usual, you may be able to say 
with those Samaritans, "Now we believe, not 
because of thy saying; for we have heard him 
ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, 
the Saviour of the world." I know not, indeed, 
how I could illustrate the words of our text more 
clearly than in the manner I have adopted, or 
how I may be likely more strikingly to exhibit to 

a John x. 17, 18. 



Lecture VI. 



139 



you, the claims, which he, "whom we preach/' 
has upon your reverence, faith, and obedience. 
And, before I proceed to reason upon the argu- 
ment which our text suggests to us, I would cite 
one other passage, which at once includes the 
same statement, in almost the same words, and 
which declares to us what is that will of God 
concerning us, which is revealed, accomplished, 
and proposed for our compliance, in the Gospel. 
" All that the Father giveth me," said our Lord, 
"shall come to me; and him that cometh to me 
I will in no wise cast out. For 1 came down 
from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the 
will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's 
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath 
given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise 
it up again at the last day. And this is the will 
of him that sent me, that every one that seeth 
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlast- 
ing life, and I will raise him up at the last day \" 
And may we not truly remark, that "blessed also 
are they, that have not seen, and yet have be- 
lieved;" who so receive, understand, and obey, 
those things which are written, that they believe, 
as indeed they have highest moral demonstration 
to induce them to believe, (< that Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of God, in order that, believing, 
they may have life through his name." 



b Johnvi. 3/ — 40, 



140 



Lecture VL 



III. That, as far as the subject before us this 
day gives occasion, we may convince the gainsayer, 
and assist the believer to build himself more se- 
curely on his most holy faith, let us now in the 
third place, proceed to consider that presumption 
in favour of the claims of Jesus, which he notices 
in the text, and in many other parts of his dis- 
courses : ee I seek not my own will, but the will of 
the Father, which hath sent me." 

Was he not sent by the Father ? Then must 
he, that thinks so, believe, either that he knowingly 
palmed an imposture upon the world, and taught 
a cunningly devised fable ; or even that he was 
more weak than wicked, and published, under the 
influence of delusion and enthusiasm, the infa- 
tuated reveries of a heated fancy. Yet, if the 
latter and more charitable supposition be adopted, 
why do we find so much that is sublime and unde- 
niable in theology; pure, holy, and enlightened, 
in morality? Could an enthusiast surpass all the 
ancient schools of philosophy? Could such a 
teacher promulgate principles, which led even 
those who opposed the Christian system to reform 
their own ; which the wisest of men still allow to 
be consonant with the most improved dictates of 
human reason ; which have left speculation little 
exercise in religious and moral inquiries, except 
in demonstrating and arranging anew the im- 
portant truths, which have been revealed, or in the 



Lecture VI. 



141 



barren research of useless curiosities ; and which 
have in such a manner both advanced and 
extended the knowledge of religious truth, that 
a large proportion of the poor and unlettered 
inhabitants of Christian countries, attain to a 
more extensive, more certain, and more efficacious 
acquaintance with God and their duty, than the 
wisest Greeks and Romans ? If, with the Prus- 
sian monarch, we deny the great and more myste- 
rious peculiarities of Christianity, and reject all 
as a divine revelation, we cannot do less than 
value and admire, as he is said to have done, its 
morality. We cannot but admit the truth of its 
statements respecting morality, the unity and 
spirituality of the Deity, and a future life. But 
how can we separate these portions from others, 
when inquiring whether the Gospel is a divine 
revelation? And do not even the more mysterious 
parts of the Gospel doctrine provide us with a 
satisfactory elucidation of matters of anxious in- 
quiry to sinful, ignorant, weak, dying mortals; 
with the only information respecting them, on 
which we can place any reliance ? All surely is 
delivered as claiming the same authority ; how 
then can we select some as excellent, and con- 
demn the other as the dictates of enthusiasm ? 

But in what manner can the charge of enthu- 
siasm be suggested, except by our own reluct- 
ance to admit these instructions as true ? And 



142 Lecture VI. 

how did the delusion of a Jew take an aspect and 
direction so entirely different from all established 
opinions and prejudices? And, if that were the 
case, how are we to account for the absence of all 
the characteristics of enthusiasm ? We find no 
vehemence, pride, conceit, or uncharitableness, in 
Jesus. He had none of the impetuosity, forward- 
ness, or haste, that we should expect to have 
found in an enthusiast. His whole doctrine, 
though unfolded by degrees, is harmonious and 
connected ; and contains no visions or rhapsodies. 
Neither would enthusiasm have at all enabled 
him to verify ancient predictions, or to deliver 
others respecting himself and his Church, which 
equally have been verified. He could not have 
long persevered in attempting miracles, much less 
could he have made others believe that he wrought 
them, unless they were realities. We must then 
adopt some probable solution. And the supposition 
that he was sent from God, and performed his will, 
satisfactorily explains the whole mystery. 

If he were an impostor, and knowingly de- 
ceived others, then he "sought his own will" 
and was influenced by some sinister inclination, 
from which no one, engaged in such a cause, 
could be free, but one who had been sent from 
God, and sought the will, and spoke the words, 
of him that sent him. But such an imputation is 
so much at variance with the character and the 



Lecture VI. 



143 



doctrines of Jesus ; with all that he did, and all 
that he omitted to do; that it is in every point 
of view improbable. His object could not be 
covetousness ; for he continued in a state of 
poverty, and made no attempts to rise above it. 
He was so far from courting the favour of the 
rich and powerful, that he checked their dispo- 
sition towards himself; though he would fain 
have persuaded them to embrace the truths which 
he taught. He required of the rich young man 
to sell what he had, and to give the price, not 
to himself, but to the poor. We learn, inci- 
dentally, that Jesus also gave to the poor, even 
from his own scanty stock, which he committed 
to the care of his only faithless disciple, and that 
knowing his character. And trifling indeed were 
the opportunities which Judas had for dishonest 
gain, since he covenanted to betray his Master 
for thirty pieces of silver. Though some 
cc ministered to Jesus of their substance," yet 
it was never sufficient to provide him, even the 
ordinary comforts, much less the elegancies, of 
life. And as he threw no temptations in the 
way of the rich to draw them to him during his 
life, so neither did he hold out any inducement 
of a gratifying nature. For he repeatedly de- 
clared, and the nature of what he taught and 
required abundantly tended to shew the propriety 
of the declaration, that "they that trust in worldly 



144 



Lecture VI. 



riches/" and therefore, too generally, those who 
possess them, would with difficulty enter his 
kingdom. Did we say that he spoke of a king- 
dom? We may ask, then, with Pilate, was he 
a King ; and did he advance and forward such a 
claim? Yes, but his was not a kingdom like those of 
this world, or that displayed ec the glory of them/' 
"If my kingdom were of this world, then would 
my servants fight, that I should not be delivered 
to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from 
hence." Neither did he himself fight, or attempt 
any political innovation, authority, or disturbance; 
nor did he direct, or authorize, his servants to 
do so. He endured, with a patience, and a sub- 
mission which he proposed as the model to all his 
followers, contempt, violence, and persecution. 
Ambition had no share in influencing his mind, 
or directing his actions. He predicted the 
establishment, not of an earthly, but of a spiritual, 
kingdom ; and occupied most of his time, labours, 
and instructions, in teaching its nature, while 
he gave evidence of its authority. He did not 
profess to attain it by triumphs in the field, in 
which he should merely expose his life, but only 
by his actual death. That death he predicted 
distinctly, though figuratively, to the Jews; but 
to his own disciples openly, literally, and re- 
peatedly. And in the way in which he predicted 
and expected, and for which he prepared, was 



Lecture VI. 



145 



his kingdom set up. Yet it never offered any 
allurement to worldly ambition, but included, in its 
nature, all that was opposed to the desires, and, 
in its accompaniments and transactions, much that 
was at variance with the comforts, and hopes, and 
attempts of the ambitious, and even with human 
feelings. And Jesus himself never spoke of his 
attainment of earthly, but of heavenly, glory. 
Had he been an impostor, we may judge, with 
certainty, what would have been the nature of 
his aims ; and we know also, that the time at 
which he lived, the expectations of the Jews at 
that time, the situation of his country, and the 
known feelings of his countrymen towards the 
Romans, and their hopes and disposition towards 
himself, would have abundantly favoured any 
such interested intentions. But he did not act 
consistently with the adoption and furtherance of 
any selfish design. Opportunities offered for the 
gratification of such, beyond what his fondest 
wishes could have anticipated • but he never 
availed himself of them. He courted not popularity 
for its own sake ; he retired and hid himself 
when it was tending to actions in his favour; 
he repelled it, and cooled its fervour, when of a 
more quiet, though, as he taught his followers, 
mistaken character. He did not shew himself to 
the world, as one that sought to be known openly, 
in any way which human wishes or corruptions 

K 



146 



Lecture VI. 



could have suggested. He declared that he ex- 
pected misrepresentation and obloquy ; nor did 
he act as one desirous to avoid it for its own sake. 
He did not court it, yet neither did he shrink from 
it. He did not seek his own glory, but taught, and 
exemplified, meekness and lowliness of heart. 

Thus, both in the nature of his pretensions, 
and in the means by which he promoted and 
advanced them, was there an obvious and une- 
quivocal indication that cc he sought not his own 
will." His were not the artifices and measures, 
which alone an impostor would have employed. 
He proceeded in a manner wholly different ; and 
adopted, in great abundance and variety, with 
all publicity and evidence, such means as no 
impostor could employ. Such were his mira- 
cles, his acquaintance with the thoughts and dis- 
positions of his hearers, the accurate adaptation 
of the events of his life and of his death and of all 
that he taught, professed, and accomplished, to 
the prophecies, promises, types, and spirit, of all 
the writings of the ancient Scriptures, and of the 
religious dispensations which they record. To 
pursue this train of argument further, would lead 
us insensibly to anticipate some subsequent topics. 
What we have just hinted may suffice to shew, 
how high this general presumption rises; and 
how fully it applies to the most extensive review 
of the whole scheme described in Scripture, 



Lecture VI. 



147 



though we can only touch upon some of the 
principal features even of a more confined view. 
But as we have endeavoured to shew, negatively, 
that Jesus did not seek his own will, let us now, 
though we have little space left for it, shew that 
we have a positive and sufficient presumption, 
that he " sought the will of the Father, which sent 
him." 

What can we answer to his own appeals 
on this subject? "Me the world hateth, because 
I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 
Because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 
Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if 
I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He 
that is of God heareth God's words ; ye therefore 
hear them not, because ye are not of God. 
I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me ; and 
I seek not my own glory ; there is one that 
seeketh and judgeth. If I honour myself, my 
honour is nothing ; it is my Father that honoureth 
me, of whom ye say that he is your God ; but 
ye have not known him ; but I know him ; and 
if I should say I know him not, I should be a liar 
like unto you ; but I know him, and keep his 
saying \" — Is it not true, that the works of the 
world are evil; that depravity has formed a 
resisting medium through which even the rays 



a John vii. 7- viii. 45—55. 
K 2 



148 



Lecture VI. 



of divine truth have too often in vain endeavoured 
to penetrate ; and yet that the mists of error and 
sin have been dispersed, and the world enlight- 
ened, by the Gospel only ? In what other way 
has Jesus seen of the travail of his soul, except 
by bringing many to righteousness ? Has not his 
doctrine most eminently promoted the knowledge 
and glory of God? Has it not been received, and 
valued, principally by the friends and lovers of 
whatsoever is holy, and just, and good? And have 
we not, therefore, the most abundant reason to 
acquiesce in the argument urged by our Lord 
on another occasion, and which we cited in a 
former part of this Lecture. " My doctrine is 
not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will 
do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether 
it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 
He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own 
glory ; but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, 
the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in 
himV — We may indeed confidently deny that 
there was any unrighteousness in Jesus. For 
he did himself illustrate the purity of his doctrine 
by giving an exhibition of embodied virtue, by 
doing all things which pleased the Father? How 
constant his devotion, how lively his faith in God, 
how great his zeal for the honour of his temple, 



John vii. l6 — 



18. 



Lecture VI. 



149 



how strict his care to " fulfil all righteousness/' 
by the observance both of moral and positive 
precepts ! How little did he consult his own ease, 
when he endured fatiguing journeys by day, and a 
houseless rest by night on the mountain or on the 
sea, that he might go about doing good ! How 
little can we suppose that he was engaged in 
a pious fraud, when we consider that he referred 
to the approach, manner, and consequences of his 
death, as the proof and completion of his design. 
Yet he could neither foresee nor control these, 
except he were divine ; and that we should have 
had no confidence or hope in him, if his predictions 
had failed. How could we still further expatiate 
on the complacency, with which he looked forward 
to such a death, on his patience and submission to 
the will of his Father, when the bitter cup was 
put into his hand, and when the approach of the 
betrayer c gave dismal note of preparation ' for 
that trial, scourging, and crucifixion. Meditate 
on his silence, meditate on his sayings, during 
these solemn scenes ; and say, to what other con- 
clusion can you come, than that he "gave himself 
for our sins, that he might deliver us from this 
present evil world, according to the will of God, 
and our Father b !" Say, whether this was not he, 
Cf whom the Father sanctified and sent into the 



b Gal, i. 4. 



150 Lecture VI. 

world a !" Say, whether it was not " for the sake 
of his disciples, and of those that should believe 
on him through their word, that he sanctified 
himself, that they also might be sanctified through 
the truth b !" Say, in short, whether this was not 
he of whom David spake, for David said it not of 
himself: " Sacrifice and offering thou didst not 
desire; mine ears hast thou opened; burnt-offering 
and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then 
said I, Lo, I come ; in the volume of the book 
it is written of me ; I delight to do thy will, O my 
God ; yea, thy law is within my heart. I have 
not hid thy righteousness within my heart ; I have 
declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation. I have 
not concealed thy loving-kindness and truth 
from the great congregation °." Assuredly Jesus 
cc sought the will of his Father that sent him." 
" By that will we are sanctified, through the 
offering of his body once for all d ." And God 
"willeth also, that all men should be saved, and 
come to the knowledge of the truth saved 
through the " one mediator between God and 
man, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be 
testified in due time 6 /' Let us receive the testi- 
mony thus given of the Son of God. Him let us 
preach, and not refrain our lips from declaring, 



* John x. 36'. b John xvii. 19, 20. c Ps. xl. 6—10. 
d Heb. x. 10. c I Tim. ii. 4—6. 



Lecture VI. 



151 



to the great congregation, faith in his name for 
the remission of sins. In him let us believe, and 
him let us obey. Let us follow the example he 
has left us, and " prove what is the good, and 
acceptable, and perfect will of God." And " may 
the Lord direct our hearts into the love of God, 
and into the patient waiting for Christ t " 



f 2 Thess. iii. 5. 



LECTURE VII. 



OUR lord's REASONINGS, ON THE EVIDENCE ARIS- 
ING FROM THE WITNESS OF JOHN, ADDRESSED 
TO THE RULERS^ TO THE MULTITUDES, TO JOHN'S 
DISCIPLES, AND TO HIS OWN. 



St. John V. 31—35. 

If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There 
is another that beareth witness of me; and I know 
that the zvitness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye 
sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 
But I receive not testimony from man ; but these things 
I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and 
a shining light ; and ye were willing for a season to 
rejoice in his light. 

These are the words of him., whom we revere as 
"the faithful and true witness who needed not 
that any should testify to him either concerning 
man, or concerning himself ; who knew full well 
man's original disposition^ and necessities ; who 
knew also whence he himself came, all things that 
should in this world come upon him, and whither 
he went ; and whose record, even when he bare 
witness of himself, was true. Yet as he came 



Lecture VII. 



153 



to purchase for us, and to offer to us, salvation, he 
condescended to exhibit to us his heavenly cre- 
dentials; and, in appealing to our understandings, 
he lowers himself to our capacities, by reasoning 
with us upon our own principles. This he did, 
not for his own sake, but for ours, ''that we 
might be saved that we might be enabled to 
recognize his divine commission, and become 
acquainted with his benevolent designs, and " be 
saved from wrath through him/' 

That particular department of the Christian 
argument, upon which our Lord reasons in our 
text, was one peculiarly adapted for the conviction 
of his contemporaries. For they had attended 
personally on John's ministry, and had heard his 
testimony so soon afterwards confirmed by the 
proceedings, character, and doctrine, of our Sa- 
viour, and by the great events of the Gospel 
history. To us, also, it is both intelligible and 
important. For we have in the Gospels a record 
of the principal facts and statements of John's 
ministry, which, although concise, is yet suffi- 
ciently copious to supply us with the materials 
upon which we may reason, so as to come to 
a satisfactory decision. And whether it be our 
object to ascertain the doctrines of the Gospel, 
the nature and design of the sacrament of baptism, 
the method in which the Gospel was promulgated, 
or the evidences of its divine original, it will be 



154 



Lecture VII. 



found advantageous in all these cases to attend 
particularly, and, if we follow the plan of the 
New Testament, primarily, to the ministry of 
John. By omitting to do so, we shall have 
neglected to employ an important portion of the 
materials provided for us; I had almost said, 
a portion, without a due attention to which, we 
shall probably entertain imperfect, if not erroneous, 
views. We propose not only to consider, in this 
Lecture, the words of our Lord in the text, but 
also to take occasion from them, to embody and 
arrange all the discourses, in which our Lord refers 
to the witness of John, principally with the view 
of leading his hearers to attend to the evidence 
which it afforded in proof of his divine mission 
and Messiahship a . We shall notice, 

1. Those addressed to the persons in authority 
among the Jews, of which our text is one. 



a The author has not included in this course a particular 
review of the baptismal doctrines and predictions of John, and 
of the connection between the missions and ministrations of John 
and Jesus, because, only a few months before the delivery of these 
Lectures, he had discussed the subject at large, as select Preacher 
for December 1820. He has therefore, in this Lecture, confined 
himself to the view more immediately suggested by the text. — The 
message of the Baptist to Jesus is more largely considered in 
Lecture IX ; and Lecture XI, also takes some notice of the 
evidence arising from the miraculous, and other, circumstances 
attendant on the births of John and Jesus. 



Lecture VII. 



155 



2. His conferences on the same subject with 
the multitudes, with the disciples of John, 
and with his own disciples. 

I. We have already observed, that the dis- 
coursej the heads of which we are examining in 
detail, was delivered before the Jewish Sanhedrim. 
In the former and concluding clauses of our text, 
our Lord refers them, generally, to the testimony 
of John, as corroborating that which he advanced 
respecting himself. Some of them, at least, had 
probably acquainted themselves with the general 
tenor of John's instructions, by a personal attend- 
ance as his hearers. At any rate, they had 
certainly heard it from others, who had done so ; 
and, in fact, they were so fully aware, from what 
they had thus heard, of his remarkable appearance, 
teaching, and proceedings, and of the attention 
which he had excited among the people, who 
believed him to be a prophet, that they had con- 
ceived it necessary to send priests and Levites 
from Jerusalem, to ask him, who he was, and in 
what character he adopted such a line of conduct*? 
It was, indeed, the acknowledged duty and pre- 
rogative of the Sanhedrim to enquire into the 
justice of the pretensions of those, who assumed the 
prophetic character ; and to this exercise of their 
public duty, our Lord specially refers in the third 



b John i. 19 — 27. 



156 



Lecture VII. 



verse of our text; and therefore, he addressed 
those, who had every qualification, which adequate 
information could give, to judge of his own pre- 
tensions, as far as the witness of John was con- 
cerned in supporting* them. 

Having defended himself against the charge 
which they had now brought against him, by 
claiming a divine commission, which, if admitted, 
would fully justify his supposed violation of the 
sabbath, and also prepare them to judge aright 
respecting all his other proceedings, he wishes 
them to consider the proofs of such a commis- 
sion. Adopting a judicial principle, in arguing 
before an official body, he ceased to bear further 
witness concerning himself; as they would not 
receive this as true, unless, in his defence, he 
could support his own assertions by other, and 
independent, testimony. Now there was another, 
who had appeared as his witness; and who, both 
in public and private, had delivered a decided, 
consistent, and persevering testimony in his fa- 
vour. Jesus himself was fully aware, that the 
witness which John bore was true; both because 
he was fully acquainted with his own original 
and commission, and also because he had been 
present at, and immediately concerned in, that 
visible communication of the Spirit, and that 
audible attestation from heaven, which was the 
crowning evidence to convince John himself 



Lecture VII. 



that Jesus was the person, of whose approach 
and office he had testified. Upon that evidence, 
John had afterwards enlarged to such as had 
considered his previous instructions. But as our 
Lord was addressing those, who had themselves 
taken the pains to obtain, officially, a statement 
from John's own mouth ; he therefore more espe- 
cially referred them to the answer which John 
had given. "Ye sent unto John; and he bare 
witness to the truth/' For, " he confessed, and 
denied not ; but confessed, that he was not the 
Christ;" Ci neither Elias," at least in person, and 
for the purposes which they expected Elias to fulfil ; 
"neither that prophet/' nor a prophet at all in the 
sense in which they looked for a prophet to appear 
among them, by rising from the dead. When a 
definite answer was demanded from him, he 
referred them to that prophecy of Esaias, of 
which their own interpretation, was in the main, 
correct; and explicitly declared, that his was the 
voice of him, that was to cry in the wilderness, 
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord." In this he 
manifestly implied, that his office only authorized 
him to bear testimony to another; that he was, 
therefore, to be compared to " a sound, which, as 
soon as it has expressed the thought of which it 
is the sign, dies into air, and is heard no moreV 



Fenelon, cited by Bishop Home in his Considerations on the 
Life and Death of John the Baptist. 



158 



Lecture VII. 



Whether, therefore,, they considered the prophecy, 
and its usual interpretation ; or the express testi- 
mony of John ; they could not have rightly con- 
sidered, nor could they finally decide upon, his 
witness, unless they looked out for another, whose 
way he prepared, and whose forerunner he was. 
Of such a one, greater than himself in office, 
power, and dignity, he expressly spoke to them ; 
of one, who when John testified this, had already 
taken his station among them, but whom they had 
then not known ; one, who was to come after 
him, but who existed before him, and who was to 
be preferred to him ; one whose office was more 
extensive than his own, which merely authorized 
him to baptize with water 3 . — We may consider 
Jesus as demanding of them, in the words of our 
text, whether these things had been duly con- 
sidered? They had known, or might have known, 
or might easily ascertain, that John had pointed 
out Jesus, personally and expressly, as him of 
whom he had spoken. If he were so, the question 
assumed an important aspect, and was of exten- 
sive connexion. Here was a declaration of the 
approach of the kingdom of heaven ; a claim to the 
office of its herald, and precursor ; and a specifica- 
tion of the person, whose approach was to be thus 
preceded and prepared. They had, therefore, to 



a John i. 26, 27- 



Lecture VII. 159 

meet this great question, to consider these exten- 
sive claims. If they neglected to do this, they 
would incapacitate themselves for judging in a 
comprehensive and sufficient manner; and would, 
probably, in consequence of their narrow and 
partial views, again object, as they were now 
doing, against some supposed breach of the law, 
or apparently hasty statement, while they were 
wholly inattentive to the miracles wrought pre- 
viously, and at the time; and though they had 
never fully comprehended, or duly considered, 
the extent and purport of his claims. Hence 
they would be likely, both to blaspheme against 
the Son of man, who was now personally preach- 
ing the Gospel of the kingdom amongst them, and 
also against the Holy Ghost, of which John spake, 
and who, though not yet given, was hereafter to 
be given. Now our Lord never required of any, 
that they should have made advancements beyond 
the information and evidence which had been 
communicated to them. He was satisfied with, 
and commended, those, who were not far from 
the kingdom ; who were willing to judge im- 
partially of what had come before them ; and 
who, although some doubts and difficulties re- 
mained, were willing to suspend their judgment, 
and not hastily to exaggerate such doubts, so as to 
dismiss all further inquiry. All would in due 
season be set before them ; so much already had 



160 



Lecture VII. 



been exhibited, that it ought to arrest their atten- 
tion, and to claim their serious investigation. It 
remained with themselves to make a proper and 
successful use of what had been advanced, and 
of what was yet in reserve. John had long ago 
borne witness to the truth, and Jesus was now 
himself declaring his office and authority. Not 
that he himself received the testimony from man, 
but he had " received from his Father a command- 
ment, what he should speak/' and perform. They 
might derive this assurance, not from his words 
only, but from other sources. And these things 
he declared to them, fC that they might be saved." 
If they refused to hear and consider them, theirs 
was the danger, and the responsibility rested with 
themselves. 

But our Lord went on further to remind 
them, that, if they finally rejected the testimony of 
John, they were in a measure self-condemned. 
He was the burning and the shining light of that 
age and country; the excellence of his instructions, 
and their success and beneficial tendency, they 
could not deny ; even they themselves, 66 for a 
season, were willing even exceedingly to rejoice 
in his light." Thus had they themselves, both 
felt and virtually confessed, his prophetic charac- 
ter. Some of them might even have been of the 
number of those Pharisees and Sadducees, who 
came to his baptism. But they were by him 



Lecture VII. 



161 



warned, reproved, and convicted. They found 
that he proclaimed not that which they wished 
and expected ; they saw that he would not be 
subservient to their carnal and temporizing po- 
licy ; they saw their influence, authority, and in- 
terests, at stake; they felt their prejudices attacked 
and exposed; they were offended and alarmed; 
and therefore their joyful hailing of him who pro- 
claimed the approach of the kingdom of heaven, 
their reverence for his character, and their admi- 
ration of his instructions, were succeeded by a 
sullen neglect, enmity, and contempt. The fact 
is several times explicitly and publicly stated by 
our Lord a ; and, in one passage, which we have 
yet to notice, to persons in authority, at a time, 
and in consequence of an incident in our Lord's 
ministry, of leading importance. You will readily 
suppose, that we allude to the question pro- 
posed to our Lord, after he had entered Jerusalem 
in the lowly triumph described by Zechariah, 
and had a second time purged the Gentiles' court 
of the temple. ff By what authority doest thou 
these things; and who gave thee this authority b ?" 
The conversation which followed this question, 
places the connexion between John's testimony, 
and our Lord's mission, in a very clear point of 



a Matt.xi. 16—19; xvii. 9—13. Luke vii. 29, 30; xvi. 14— 17V 
b Matt. xxi. 23. Mark xi. 28. Lukexx. l, 2. 

L 



162 



Lecture VII. 



view ; though it is not always rightly represented 
by the commentators. 

The question was proposed by the ee chief 
priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the 
people/ 5 under whose cognizance our Lord's pro- 
ceedings certainly fell. He answered by proposing 
another question. <e I will also ask you one thing, 
which if you tell me, I in likewise will tell you by 
what authority I do these things. The baptism of 
John, whence was it? of heaven, or of men ?" that 
is, was it of divine, or of human authority ? Now 
their answer was, that "they could not tell;" and 
Jesus, therefore, refused to tell them " by what 
authority he did these things." They had declined 
to answer his question, or rather they had openly 
declared their inability to answer it. Now this 
implied, either that they still allowed that John's 
baptism possibly might be of divine appointment ; 
or that they had not come to an official decision ; 
or that they did not think themselves concerned to 
do so. The fact was, as we are fully informed in 
other places, that they rejected John's baptism, 
and refused to allow its divine authority. But 
they reasoned with themselves, that if they should 
say thus publicly that it was of men, the people, 
who were fully persuaded that John was truly 
a prophet, would raise a tumult, and stone them. 
Their personal safety, therefore, prevented an 
avowal of their disbelief. Nor could (hey make 



Lecture VII. 



163 



a declaration, which would coincide with the pre- 
possessions of the people, without a virtual re- 
cantation of the opinions, which in their conduct,, 
at least, they had hitherto avowed ; without a vio- 
lation of consistency, as it regarded the past, an 
imprudent committal of themselves for the future, 
and a liability to be subjected to the unanswerable 
reproof of Jesus, C{ Why then did ye not believe 
him ?" 

Yet this was not an evasive question, proposed 
in order to bring them into this dilemma ; though 
it is too generally so represented, or is left imper- 
fectly explained. It was the most proper answer 
which could have been made, as a few brief re- 
marks will shew. It reminded them of the words 
of our text, judicially spoken before them ; which, 
had they been duly considered, might have led 
them to a right knowledge of the source and 
nature of the authority of Jesus. And it also 
reproved them, because they neither admitted the 
authority of John, nor, because of their unworthy 
fear of the people, did they disabuse them of what 
they conceived an erroneous opinion ; though, as 
the guardians of religion, and the judges of pro- 
phetic claims, they ought, officially, to have done 
one or the other. By declining to give any defi- 
nite answer to our Lord's inquiry, they left him 
no opportunity of entering on such a line of 
argument, as would have evinced his authority 

l 2 



1G4 



Lecture VII. 



to do these things; yet he clearly taught them 
that the question, to which he required an an- 
swer, was a previous question, the decision of 
which would lead to an easy solution of their own. 
— You will perhaps ask, why did not our Lord 
take some other line of argument? I might an- 
swer, and the answer would be sufficient, that our 
Lord knew what was in man ; and we might, 
with satisfaction, acquiesce in the conviction, that 
in this, as well as in other instances, he did all 
things well. But we can answer more fully, and 
state, that his question related to the very point of 
evidence which it was in this instance proper to 
consider. He had entered Jerusalem in pro- 
cession, as the meek and lowly King of Zion, 
amidst the repeated acclamation, cc Hosannah to 
the Son of David ! Blessed be the King of Israel, 
that cometh in the name of the Lord !" This was 
a visible accomplishment of the prediction of 
Zechariah. Was, then, the authority, which Jesus 
claimed in the temple, conformable to the divine 
purposes, and to the intimations of prophecy? 
Assuredly it was. It was designed, as to its ob- 
ject, to effect the removal of the desecrating traffic^ 
that was carried on in the house of his Father. 
It was designed to espouse the cause of the Gen- 
tiles, that the outer court might be restored to 
them, and that, according to prophecy, the house 
of God might be made <c a house of prayer for all 



Lecture VII. 



165 



nations V 3 That the Messiah should thus actually 
come in suddenness, and to the confusion of trans- 
gressors, to vindicate the honour of the house of 
God, as (c the Lord of the temple/' and cc greater 
than the temple/' was an especial subject of pro- 
phecy ; and it was foretold in immediate connexion 
with the prediction of that Messenger, whom John 
declared himself to be. For although, when ques- 
tioned by the priests and Levites, he cited the words 
of Isaiah ; yet a passage of Malachi, in which he 
is also mentioned, specifies the same reason for his 
mission, and also connects it with the appearance 
of the Lord, whom the Jews expected, in the 
temple. "Behold, I send my messenger, and he 
shall prepare the way before me ; and the Lord, 
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, 
even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye 
delight in. — And he shall purify the sons of Levi, 
and shall purge them as gold and silver, that they 
may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteous- 
ness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jeru- 
salem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of 
old. — And all nations shall call you blessed; and 
ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of 



a Isai. lvi. 6, 7- Mede observes, in his sermon on this subject, 
that " the place alleged (by our Lord) to avow the fact, speaks 
of Gentile-worshippers, not in the words to?? Wvea-i only, but in 
the whole body of the context." Works, p. 46. 



166 



Lecture V1L 



hostsV— By attending to the various and con- 
nected transactions thus predicted respecting John 
and Jesus, we at once discover the propriety of 
our Lord's conduct on this occasion, and the evi- 
dence in vindication of his authority, which, under 
such circumstances, he pointed out as forcibly by 
declining any further statement, as if he had en- 
tered on a detail of the argument. If the authority 
of the precursor were admitted, it involved the 
admission of his own; if they had really so little 
considered the former question, as to be yet unde- 
cided, they then avoided, or hastily passed over, 
the proper and sufficient evidence which was yet 
open to their consideration. 

But, though they were afraid to encounter our 
Lord's arguments, and sought to avoid them, he 
left them not unreproved and unwarned. In three 
parables, —that of the obedient and disobedient 
sons, who were requested to work in their father's 
vineyard, — that of the wicked husbandmen, — and 
that of the wedding garment, — he exposed the 
guilt, impotency, and danger of their unbelief, 
and also predicted their approaching murderous 
rejection of himself, their forfeiture of the bless- 
ings of the kingdom, and the transfer of them to 
the Gentiles, whose cause he had been espousing, 
and who would bring forth the proper fruits. 



a Mai. ii. 1 ; 3, 4, 12. 



Lecture VII. 



16? 



They saw the purport of the parables ; they 
writhed under their severe correction ; they could 
not refrain from deprecating the accomplishment 
of his predictions ; yet they proceeded, even Avith 
increased eagerness, in the furtherance of their 
bloody designs. 

Of the first parable he made an express appli- 
cation, which it will be expedient to notice with 
reference to our subject. He obtained from them 
a confession, that the son who first refused, but 
ce afterwards repented and went" into the vine- 
yard, Ci did the will of his father/' And he then 
answered, " Verily, I say unto you, that the pub- 
licans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God 
before you. For John came unto you in the way 
of righteousness, and ye believed him not ; but 
the publicans and the harlots believed him. And 
ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards, 
that ye might believe him a ." Our Lord here 
notices the excellence of John's character, and the 
efficacy of his instructions. Such a consideration 
they ought not to have neglected. They had 
been reminded of it in our text, and themselves 
must have felt it, when they beheld the salutary 
effects produced by John's labours, upon those 
whom they themselves had yet been unable to 
reform, even if they had indeed attempted to 



a Matt. xxi. 31, 32, 



168 



Lecture VII. 



do it. Yet this had not induced them to re- 
trace their steps, but had, perhaps,, operated 
to strengthen their prejudices. — The same princi- 
ple applied, and still applies, to our Lord's in- 
structions, as well as to those of the Baptist. They 
are intelligible to those, who have neither leisure 
nor capacity for philosophical research, or sys- 
tematic morality. The same Gospel, which is 
preached to the rich and learned, is preached also 
to the poor and illiterate. By one and the same 
Gospel must both be instructed, edified, and saved. 
Let us, then, value the wisdom and sublimity of 
its design and contents ; let us also admire its 
universal adaptation and utility ; and let neither 
the pride of station, nor the prejudices of learning, 
nor the vulgarity of a poor man's religious observ- 
ances, his uncouth phraseology, and his imperfect, 
and often mistaken, opinions, prevent the serious 
examination, and cordial acceptation, of the same 
truths, which reform, edify, and comfort him. 
For they were not intended to remedy the dis- 
advantages of station, and the defects of education, 
excepting only so far as holiness here, and happi- 
ness hereafter, may thereby be affected. 

Such were our Lord's reasonings and state- 
ments, in connexion with the witness of John, as 
delivered to the ruling authorities of the Jews. 
We have now only to notice the more remarkable 
addresses of our Lord on the same subject to the 



Lecture VII. 



169 



disciples of John, the multitudes, and his own 
disciples. 

II. The earliest of these was on occasion of 
the memorable message sent to Jesus by John. 
The disciples of John had given him early infor- 
mation respecting the popularity and success of 
him, " to whom he had borne witness beyond 
Jordan." The Baptist had then, in the last of 
his discourses which is recorded, endeavoured to 
divest them of any jealousy respecting his own 
honour, by directing them to the remembrance of 
his former statements; by re-assuring them of the 
divine and superior dignity of Jesus; and by 
exhorting them to a reception of his doctrine. 
Being informed by them, at a later period, of the 
still growing fame of Jesus, of his repeated 
miracles, and especially of the raising of the 
widow's son at Nain, John actually sent them 
to confer with Jesus, and to obtain, from his own 
mouth, an answer to the question, " whether he 
was he that should come, or whether they were 
to look for another?" They, probably, as well 
as the rest of the people, were in some degree of 
suspense, because Jesus had not, in so many 
words, declared himself the Messiah. Our Lord 
retained them with him, until he had wrought 
several additional miracles ; and then, in a brief 
manner, led them to infer his Messiahship, from 
the miracles which he performed; for they were 



J 70 Lecture VII. 

such as the prophets ascribed to the Messiah. 
He reminded them, also, that the Gospel was by 
him preached to the poor, according to another 
prophecy of Isaiah ; and then cautioned them 
against suffering the faith, produced by such 
considerations, to be impaired and subverted by 
any inconsistency which presented itself to their 
minds between his humble appearance and their 
expectations. Thus our Lord at once shewed the 
correctness with which John had described him 
as one "mightier than himself/' and as a teacher 
who "spoke the words of God pointed out the 
agreement of John's testimony, with the prophe- 
cies respecting the Messiah, and the miracles 
which he was to perform ; and intimated the 
probability and danger of that rejection of his 
testimony, of which also the prophets had spoken. 

The discourse which our Lord addressed to the 
multitudes, after the departure of John's disciples, 
also very fully discusses the character and office 
of the Baptist a . Of these his own disciples 
entertained such an opinion, as made their 
views end in him, and, therefore, for a time, 
prevented the proper object of his mission. But 
there was no such danger with the multitude ; 
but rather one of a contrary character. They 
were in danger of losing the impressions, which 



A Matt. xi. 7—19- 



Lecture VII. 



171 



the appearance and preaching of the Baptist had 
produced. And yet they did not abate this respect 
for him., in order to transfer it to the Messiah ; 
but were disposed to err, both with respect to 
him and his precursor. Our Lord, therefore, 
adapted his discourse to the character of the per- 
sons addressed; endeavouring to recall their former 
feelings, in order that he might direct them to 
a proper end and object. He reminded them 
of the earnest attention, which had been excited 
among them, by the solemn and unvarying testi- 
mony of that holy and self-denying man. He had 
appeared, not as the herald or attendant of an 
earthly monarch, though he proclaimed the setting 
up of a kingdom. They allowed him to be a pro- 
phet ; but he was more. For, citing the words of 
Malachi, our Lord applied them to him ; and 
declared that he was cc the Messenger who was to 
prepare the way of the Lord." Thus he at once 
directed their thoughts to the kingdom of the 
Messiah, and pointed out what might prepare 
them to discern its real nature. He spoke dis- 
tinctly of the introduction of a new religious 
dispensation ; of the superiority of the least pro- 
phet of that dispensation, even to John ; as more 
honoured, and more enlightened, and more suc- 
cessful. They as yet had been under the guidance 
of the law, and of the prophets. But each of 
these had prophesied of more glorious times. 



Lecture VII. 



Those times had begun with the appearance of 
John. Now the kingdom of heaven had com- 
menced ; not guarded, like Mount Sinai, in order 
to repel and alarm ; but permitting, and even 
inviting, all to approach and enter. They ex- 
pected Elias to come. Though no Elias, such as 
they looked for, would come ; yet he who was to 
come, he whom Malachi had predicted under th$t 
title, had already come ; for this was no other 
than John the Baptist. This was important in- 
formation ; a statement to be attentively heard, 
and earnestly examined. And our Lord therefore 
added; cc he that hath ears to hear, let him, 
therefore, hear/' 

Thus did our Lord declare the proper view, in 
which they were now to examine the mission of 
John; thus did he assist them in that examination, 
and direct them rightly to employ the means which 
already existed, for forming a correct decision, 
and which the progress of his ministry rendered 
continually more abundant. Yet he well knew, 
both from the past conduct, and present dis- 
position, of that generation, and from his fore- 
knowledge of their future proceedings, that the 
connected mission of John and himself, and the 
different conduct and demeanour which suited 
their respective functions, would not meet the 
prejudices, or engage the impartial consideration, 
of all. They had their favourite and obstinate 



Lecture VII. 



173 



prejudices, which operated against each of these 
messengers. Two consecutive, but distinct, me- 
thods had been employed for the introduction of 
the kingdom of heaven. "John came neither 
eating nor drinking ;" to him they objected, 
because he came in a severe and repulsive cha- 
racter; of him they said, " He hath a devil." " The 
Son of man came eating and drinking /• not de- 
clining to join in social and familiar intercourse 
with the world, and yet, however inconsistently,, 
they found in this also a motive to reject and 
calumniate him. " Behold, said they, a gluttonous 
man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and 
sinners." They appeared therefore not disposed 
lo be satisfied with any thing, however expressly 
calculated to obviate and remove their prejudices. 
They therefore acted as perverse a part, as those 
<c children/' whom cc when assembled in the 
market-place " for their pastime, no variety of 
proposal, suggested by a spirit of compliance and 
accommodation on the part of their companions, 
could persuade to join in the amusements of the 
hour. But however they might thus cc reject the 
counsel of God against themselves/' ic the children 
of wisdom," all of candid and reflecting minds, 
would perceive and acknowledge that both these 
methods were adopted by divine wisdom, and that 
they might justly be applauded and admired. 

As too many among the Jews were offended, 



174 



Lecture VII. 



both by the austere demeanour of John, and the 
social one of Jesus, so the disciples of John were 
backward to approve of the latter, and exclusively 
admired the former. They therefore demanded 
of Jesus, why they, and the disciples of the Pha- 
risees, fasted often, but his, like himself, did not 
fast, but ate and drank like others, without any 
such abstemiousness. Here also Jesus endea- 
voured to satisfy the well disposed inquirers ; and, 
in several parabolical illustrations, shewed the 
propriety of this part of his conduct. These you 
will readily call to mind ; and we have only time 
to observe, that he adopted, in one instance, the 
same figure in which John had instructed them 
respecting* himself. For John had spoken of Jesus 
as the bridegroom, and of himself as the attendant 
of the bridegroom. And Jesus now observed, 
that his chosen disciples, as well as John, were 
attendants of him the bridegroom, but that he 
called them not to any premature austerities ; 
because these comparatively were the days of 
their festivity. But after he had trained them 
up for their future work, " the bridegroom would 
be taken from them ; and then they would 
fast in those days a ." For the event to which he 
alluded, and for its consequences, he was gradually 

a Mark ii. 18—22. Luke v, 33—39. The inquiry seems to 
have been proposed, not only by the disciples of John, but also by 

the Scribes and Pharisees. 



Lecture VII. 



175 



preparing them ; but if he adopted the procedure 
to which they alluded, so harsh a discipline, em- 
ployed in the first instance, would too much dis- 
courage them. 

The disciples of our Lord do not appear to 
have entertained any objection to the proceedings 
and appearance, either of John or Jesus. The 
fact, "that the bridegroom should be taken from 
them/' was that, at the mention of which they 
were confounded, in whatever manner it was 
couched. They also expected, as other Jews did, 
and as the Scribes taught, that " Elias would 
first come, and restore all things and, probably., 
at the transfiguration, they conceived that their 
expectations were about to be fulfilled. But their 
joy and eagerness was soon checked by the in- 
junction to "tell the vision to no man, until the 
Son of man was risen from the dead." This 
recalled to their minds the parallel declarations 
made by their Master a short time before ; and 
they could not either understand "what the rising 
from the dead should mean/' as applied to their 
Master, or how it could be reconciled with their 
past expectations, and present suppositions, re- 
specting Elias. They proposed the difficulty to 
their Master, and received, in answer, a statement, 
calculated to remove their doubts, if not immedi- 
ately, yet soon afterwards. With the citation of 
that answer, and of another remark of our Lord 



176 



Lecture VII. 



to his disciples, we may conclude this review of 
his reasonings respecting* John. 

" His disciples asked him, saying, Why then say 
the Scribes that Elias must first come ? And Jesus 
answered, and said unto them, Elias truly shall first 
come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, 
that Elias is come already, and they knew him 
not, but have done unto him whatsoever they 
listed ; likewise also shall the Son of man suffer 
of them. Then the disciples understood that he 
spake unto them of John the Baptist V And 
when the Son of man had ce suffered many 
things/' and had "risen from the dead/' then did 
our Lord again direct their thoughts to that par- 
ticular prediction of the Baptist, which he had 
himself also delivered, and which was then about 
to be accomplished ; thus, in another instance, 
pointing out to them the difference of their re- 
spective functions, and the tendency which their 
consecutive ministrations had to accomplish the 
purposes of God in the establishment of his king- 
dom. " Wait, said he, in Jerusalem, for the 
promise of the Father, which ye have heard of 
me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye 
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many 
days hence b ." 

We may, I think, derive from the whole series 



a Matt. xvii. 10—13. Markix. 11—13. b Actsi. 4, 5. 



Lecture VII. 



177 



of our Lord's reasonings on this subject, and from 
a comparison of his remarks with the instructions, 
predictions, and transactions, to which they refer, 
a conviction of the completeness and force, even of 
this single head of evidence. It shews to us the 
divine authority of the witness of John ; and how 
clear a light is from thence reflected on the autho- 
rity of Jesus. And may we, therefore, be " child- 
ren of wisdom," and justify its proceedings. We 
are men of like passions with those, who rejected 
the instructions both of Jesus and of John. We 
may be under the influence of prejudices equally 
powerful ; we may, in like manner, be inattentive 
and obdurate. But, though John were " a burn- 
ing and a shining light/' he was not " that light, 
which, coming into the world, enlighteneth every 
man ;" he was sent only cc to bear witness of 
that light to exhibit to the world, as it were, 
the dawn of the rising " Sun of Righteousness/' 
But "the day-spring from on high has now 
visited us." cc The true light now shineth." 
Let us "be willing/' not "for a season" only, 
but continually and perseveringly, "to rejoice in 
the light of him, who declared himself to be "the 
light of the world." Let the convictions, which 
from time to time we feel, be encouraged, and 
not stifled. Let the resolutions, to which they 
give rise, not be "like the morning dew/' and 
refresh us only for a time • but be so cherished 

M 



178 



Lecture VII. 



and renewed, as to abide the scorching sun of 
temptation and persecution. Let such a stedfast- 
ness be maintained, that hope may arise, and 
gather strength and maturity, within us. Yet a 
genuine and well-grounded hope cannot even 
exist in the soul of him, who does not know and 
obey the promises and precepts of the Gospel. 
But if hope has respect to the blessings which 
Jesus has purchased, and be founded on a scrip- 
tural faith, and attended by that cc charity, which 
never faileth," it will then be ff an anchor of the 
soul, both sure and stedfast, which entereth within 
the vail, whither our forerunner is for us entered, 
even Jesus." He, as the Baptist declared, is cc the 
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of "the 
world." And John also bare witness, "that he 
is the Son of God and solemnly said to his 
disciples, " He that believeth on the Son hath 
everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the 
Son, shall not see life ; but the wrath of God 
abideth on him V 



a John i. 29, 34; iii. 36. 



LECTURE VIII 



our lord's appeal to his miracles as attesting 
his divine mission. 



St, John V. 36. 

But I have greater witness than that of John; for the 

works which the Father hath given me to finish, the 

same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the 
Father hath sent me. 

In whatever point of view the serious inquirer 
contemplates the facts and circumstances of the 
Christian story, or any portion of them/he can- 
not fail to be impressed with a conviction, that 
he therein discerns the arm of the Almighty not 
obscurely revealed, but employed for great and 
holy purposes. The evidence arising* from mira- 
cles doubtless affords to us one of the most obvious 
and intelligible indications of this truth ; and one 
which has been observed and acknowledged even 
by those, who have taken a less detailed and 
complete survey of the whole, and who have, 
therefore, perhaps, not attended much to the 

M 2 



180 



Lecture VIII. 



evidence arising from the proceedings, character, 
and witness, of John. The Gospel records, 
however, present to us the latter of these as the 
earliest subject for our examination ; and no one, 
who has given to it the attention which it de- 
serves, will be disposed to deny, that it affords 
a most satisfactory evidence of the truth of Christi- 
anity. In our last Lecture we took the particular 
view of this extensive argument, which was sug- 
gested by the words immediately preceding our 
text. In our text our Lord states, that the 
miracles which he wrought are fC a greater witness 
than that of John/' Not that the one was of 
divine appointment and interference, and the other 
not ; but because miracles are the visible tokens 
of divine interposition, from which the inference 
is more immediate, and of which the evidence 
is more sensible. And, indeed, the witness of 
John, considered merely as the testimony of a 
zealous and holy person, and even as that of 
a prophet, is not complete without the evidence 
of miracles; for these were necessary in order to 
prove Jesus to be the mightier one of whom he 
spoke. John's ministry wonderfully prepared the 
way for that of our Lord, that he might, with 
more advantage, appear as the worker of miracles, 
and as the authoritative teacher of a more en- 
larged scheme. But the miracles themselves were 
the greater, more definite, and more unequivocal 



Lecture VIII. 



181 



demonstration of his authority, and of the divinity 
of his doctrine. 

The words of our text might, indeed, be con- 
sidered as referring, not merely to the mighty 
works which he performed in order to our con- 
viction, but also to "the whole work which the 
Father gave him to do." And, undoubtedly, from 
the great design itself, and its accomplishment, 
an argument arises which includes all others, and 
which sets them before us with the greatest ad- 
vantage ; because we then not only discern the 
force of each, separately considered, but of all 
as connected with each other, and as manifesting, 
both the unity and consistency of the design, 
and the completeness of its accomplishment. But 
that the words of our text have a more limited 
reference, appears from the phraseology which 
our Lord employs on other occasions. And in 
the first passage which we shall cite, there seems 
decidedly to be such an allusion to the very words 
of our text, as clearly to shew, that our Lord 
intended therein to refer to his miracles. 

Shortly after the cure of the man born blind, 
some of the Jews, who, as the context shews, 
probably were persons in authority, "said unto 
him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? 
If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus 
answered them, I told you, and ye believed not ; 
the works that I do in my Father's name, they 



182 



Lecture VIII. 



bear witness of me V In a subsequent part of the 
same conference, he again alluded to the "good 
works which he had shewed them from his 
Father ;" and added, te If I do not the works of 
my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though 
ye believe not me, believe the works ; that ye may 
know and believe, that the Father is in me, and 
I in him/' To his disciples he delivered similar 
statements ; which, being more enlarged, point 
out to us more fully the connexion of these miracles 
with the doctrines, in proof of which he wrought 
them; and the criminality of not attending to that 
proof: — "Believest thou not/' said he to Philip, 
ec that 1 am in the Father, and the Father in me ? 
The words that I speak unto you, I speak not 
of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, 
he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in 
the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe 
me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the 
works that I do, shall he do also ; and greater 
works than these shall he do, because I go unto 
my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my 
name, that will I do, that the Father may be 
glorified in the Son b ." Shortly afterwards, when 
speaking to his disciples of their future sufferings 
in his cause, he observed, cc These things will 



J John x. 24, 25. 



b John xiv. 10—13. 



Lecture VIII. 



183 



they do unto you for my name's sake, because 
they know not him that sent me. If I had not 
come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin ; 
but now have they no cloke for their sin. He 
that hateth me, hateth my Father also. If I had 
not done among them the works which none other 
man did, they had not had sin ; but now have they 
both seen and hated both me and my Father 0 ." 

The works referred to in these passages, of 
which our Lord spoke as already past, had been 
publicly exhibited in the presence of those whom 
he addressed. And the miracles wrought by the 
Apostles, in the name of Jesus, and through the 
prayer of faith, of which our Lord spoke as yet 
future, were afterwards exhibited with equal pub- 
licity. The Jewish people could not deny, and did 
not in fact doubt, that they were really miraculous 
works, impossible to the unaided powers of a 
human being ; although they conceived, that the 
authority of their traditions, and their received 
interpretations of the Old Testament, justified 
them in refusing their assent to the doctrines 
and dispensation, of which these were the sanction 
and demonstration. That dispensation and its 
doctrines are as important to us, as they were to 
them. But we are circumstanced with respect 



c John xv. 21, 24. Some of the passages here quoted will, 
in future Lectures, be more particularly considered. 



184 Lecture VIII. 

to the miracles, which prove its divine authority, 
in a manner somewhat different. We cannot see 
them ; and to resolve, except we see signs and 
wonders, not to believe, would be to require that 
which would make them cease to be miracles. 
Ours, therefore, cannot be that sensible and 
striking* impression of their reality and evidence, 
which would be felt by the subjects and spectators 
of miracles. Yet what we lose in this respect 
is abundantly supplied by the more enlarged know- 
ledge which we have of the connection of miracles 
with other branches of evidence, then not so 
fully exhibited, and with the complete system of 
truth, of which they proved the divine revelation. 
Yet we do not lose much by the absence of such 
an overpowering evidence ; for a sufficient con- 
viction of their reality alone is necessary to 
establish the conclusion ; and of that we have 
abundant evidence. It is, indeed, derived from 
the testimony of others ; but a reliance upon well 
authenticated, and well circumstanced, testimony, 
is as much a law of our moral nature, as the 
belief of the ordinary laws by which the universe 
is governed is of our understanding. We ordi- 
narily act with as little hesitation upon a sufficient 
moral certainty, as upon the clearest philosophical 
analogy, or mathematical demonstration. We 
cannot in either case make our own personal 
experience the test of all possible facts ; and to 



Lecture VIII. 



185 



believe nothing*, but that which we have ourselves 
seen j is as unreasonable, as it would be em- 
barrassing. Whenever, therefore, distance of time 
or place prevents us from being spectators of any 
transaction, we can become acquainted with it 
only by testimony; nor have we any just ground 
to reject such testimony, if it be attended with the 
proper marks of credibility. The case is very little 
different, if the facts in question be of that cha- 
racter which we call miraculous. They differ from 
other facts principally with reference to the cause 
which produced them. It is essentially requisite 
that they should be subject to the apprehension 
and examination of the senses of mankind ; but 
their miraculous nature is merely an inference 
from their reality as facts, and from a conviction 
that neither the ordinary procedure of nature, nor 
the agency of man, could have produced them. 
In our inquiries respecting them, we may justly 
scrutinize, with all possible accuracy, the testimony 
which reports that they occurred ; we may with 
equal care weigh and compare the circumstances 
of the facts in detail, with a view of discovering 
whether there were any imposture or delusion. 
But if, after such an examination, the inference 
that they resulted from a miraculous agency, 
is the only tenable one ; the nature of the con- 
clusion at which we have arrived is by no means 
to be applied as an objection to its truth and 



186 



Lecture V1IL 



correctness. That the ordinary laws of nature are 
wise, useful, and constant, and that they are 
designed for the benefit of all creatures that live, 
affords no sufficient presumption that their progress 
may not be counteracted or superseded, to pro- 
vide for objects so important, as the spiritual and 
eternal interests of man. And if such a design 
appear evident, as in the case of the Christian 
miracles, the end is confessedly desirable and 
necessary. The means by which we receive an 
assurance that the end is attained, though they 
involved a partial and temporary suspension, or 
counteraction, of the laws of the universe, did not 
at all supersede, or even interrupt, their general 
beneficial operations. Yet they conferred valuable 
personal benefits upon the individuals, who were 
the subjects of them, at the same time that they 
permanently provided for the continued consola- 
tions, and lively hopes, of all future generations. 

The facts, to which our text refers, are those 
upon which our religion is founded; and, without 
allowing the truth of them, we cannot account for 
its success. For the pretence to miraculous 
powers, of such a kind, and under such circum- 
stances, would, if they had not been real, have 
ruined the cause which it did so effectually pro- 
mote. Now the Gospel records of these facts 
being so circumstantial, full, and perspicuous, we 
are thereby enabled to place ourselves, as it were. 



Lecture V IIL 



in the midst of the scenes so described, and become 
qualified to judge, perhaps, as accurately as those 
who actually witnessed them, of their reality as 
exertions of divine power. We are therein fur- 
nished with the testimony of eye-witnesses ; with 
the written narrative of those things, which they, 
day by day, and from year to year, proclaimed by 
word of mouth, cc both to small and great/' both 
to Jew and Gentile; in the midst of persecution 
and opposition, but without contradiction from 
those, who, if there were a possibility of denying 
them, were both interested and disposed to do so, 
but who endeavoured to suppress the propagation 
of Christianity, in defiance of these extraordinary 
facts, rather than venturing to deny their truth. 
Upon the practical proof, which these witnesses 
gave, of the correctness and fidelity of what they 
attested, this is not the place to enlarge • they evi- 
dently themselves believed these things to have 
been as they related them. For no other motive, 
than the love of truth, can be assigned for their 
diligence and earnestness in promulgating the 
Gospel; or for their stedfastness and patience 
under the trials to which their testimony exposed 
them. The written narrative which they have 
left us, is not composed in the adorned style of 
other histories, but in a manner peculiar to them- 
selves. The miraculous facts are related in the 
same brief, circumstantial, and inartificial manner. 



188 



Lecture VIII. 



as the ordinary ones. An impression is left on the 
mind by a perusal of these narratives, that the 
authors did not write under the influence of 
imagination, but of the vivid recollection of ob- 
vious, though astonishing, facts ; and that they 
had felt a conviction of the reality of what they 
saw, which nothing could impair or destroy. In 
very many instances they mention such particu- 
lars, as render it impossible to conceive but that 
the facts, which they so particularly and graphi- 
cally describe, took place just in the manner in 
which they relate them. And each Evangelist, 
in other instances, makes such omissions of many 
particulars, and such transitions from one incident 
to another, as would be wholly inexplicable, except 
upon the supposition that the writer's mind was 
more occupied with the remembrance of circum- 
stances which he had actually observed, than with 
the construction and arrangement of a fictitious 
narrative. 

Another circumstance tends to shew, that the 
Evangelists did not invent the miracles which they 
record. They are not mere acts of power, ex- 
hibited with pomp and ostentation, so as merely to 
dazzle and astonish the multitude; nor are they 
characterized by moroseness, superstition, or re- 
venge. Yet such have those been, which have 
either been put in competition with the Gospel 
miracles, or which some have attempted to add to 



Lecture VIII. 



189 



them. Why have men of far superior education 
succeeded so ill in comparison with the Evangelists, 
but that the former related .what were either 
fictions or impostures, the latter real facts? Nor 
are the miracles of Jesus isolated facts, referred to 
no good or declared end, but expressly wrought 
for the promotion of the greatest of purposes; 
connected with important incidents and discourses, 
so as to add force, and dignity, and authority, to 
the instructions, at the same time that they also 
serve to illustrate them. Even when they are 
most public, there is no appearance of ostentation, 
but every feature of sobriety, dignity, and de- 
corum ; and often were they accompanied by 
a remarkable humility and concealment of himself. 
They were works of compassion and benevolence; 
beneficial in their immediate effect, as well as 
with reference to their ultimate purpose. 

Such was the general character of the works 
which Jesus did ; and a more particular notice of 
their nature and circumstances shews them to be 
so decisively miraculous, as to present a very 
strong case even to those, who argue for the an- 
tecedent improbability or impossibility of miracles. 
As it is undeniable that some such works were 
done, we ask of the sceptic only a candid investi- 
gation of the facts of the case ; because we believe 
that this will be of itself sufficient to induce him 
to assent to the words of Jesus ; " the same works 



390 



Lecture V1IL 



that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath 
sent me." Jesus addressed those, who were 
familiar with the facts in question ; and we must, 
in like manner, make ourselves acquainted with 
them, before we can come to any just decision 
respecting 1 their competency to assure us of the 
truth of the Gospel The facts may be so cir- 
cumstanced, as to be wholly inexplicable on any 
other supposition, than that the Author of nature 
is the Author of these extraordinary phenomena. 
It is ours to ascertain how far that is the case ; 
and our Lord proceeded during his ministry in 
a manner which offers to our consideration a great 
variety of facts. Even before the imprisonment 
of John, at which time he may properly be said to 
have commenced his preaching, he began his 
miraculous works ; thus exhibiting his credentials 
before he delivered his message. And this proce- 
dure may be observed, not only in the general 
plan of his ministry, but in the particular portions 
of it. He generally taught after the exhibition of 
his mighty works. Some of his more important 
discourses were immediately preceded and occa- 
sioned by them. And the most full and particular 
statements, which he delivered, were at the close 
of his life, when he may be said to have at 
length suspended the exercise of his power. In 
every point of view, therefore, it is necessary 
to ascertain the real state of the question with 



Lecture VIII. 



191 



respect to the nature of the facts, that we may 
decide whether they are, or are not, miraculous. 
And if we find ourselves obliged to admit that 
they are so, it is an admission of a fact in 
the history of the world, which may justly make 
us conclude, that all reasonings in denial of the 
possibility of miracles, are futile and erroneous ; 
and if they are so, surely we may also admit 
the obvious inference, that God has spoken by 
Jesus; and we should receive, with humble and 
adoring faith, the testimony which he has given 
us respecting that " eternal life, which is in his 
Son/' 

Consider then, still more particularly, the obvious 
nature of these facts. They were of such a na- 
ture, as to be subject both to the senses and under- 
standings of all. If they were so, those, who were 
the subjects and spectators of the miracles, had 
complete evidence of their reality ; and the only 
evidence which could apply. The greater number 
of these miracles consisted in the cure of the 
diseased ; the blind, the lame, and the maimed. 
Their previous infirmity was notorious ; in many 
instances it had been of long duration, and had 
baffled the skill of physicians. Their recovery 
was equally ascertainable, and was found, in all 
cases alike, to be complete and lasting. The 
change from the one state to the other was, in 
most instances, effected, or, at least, preceded, by 



192 



Lecture VIII. 



a word^ by the touchy by some external application, 
whose very nature shewed that it was not the 
powerful agent which of itself produced the 
change. That it could be neither (he result of 
imposture, nor the effect of imagination , the num- 
ber of the instances is sufficient to prove. If 
imagination could be supposed to cure diseases of 
every kind, under every circumstance, and of 
every duration, it could not raise the dead. Much 
less could any such causes suspend the operation 
of gravity upon the body of Jesus, and that of 
St. Peter, and cause u the winds and the sea to 
obey him." That no ordinary physical cause 
could have produced any of these effects, is ob- 
vious to common sense, and not deniable by 
philosophy. There are only two tenable supposi- 
tions ; and, as far as the argument is concerned, 
it is indifferent which we select. Either it was 
a suspension, modification, or counteraction, of 
the ordinary laws of nature, by the immediate 
operation of divine power ; or it was a deviation, 
for which the Creator had provided, in the original 
formation and arrangement of the world ; which 
took place exactly in that age, and at that moment, 
when one, claiming to be a divine messenger, 
accompanied these, even on this hypothesis, 
extraordinary occurrences, by such visible signs, 
as to connect them with his own teaching, and 
with the other proofs which he gave of his divine 



Lecture VII I. 



193 



commission 3 . On either of these suppositions the 
proof of divine attestation is equally cogent. 

The proof itself, and the sufficiency of its pre- 
mises, are also rendered more evident by the 
greatness, number, and variety, of these miracles. 
Impostors seldom venture on many attempts to 
perform such wonders, as excite astonishment, and 
provoke inquiry. But in this case the inveteracy 
of the disorder, and the reality of death, were not 
more certain, than the speedy, and even instanta- 
neous recovery of health and of life. To what, 
then, but to a supernatural power, can we ascribe 
that perfect and permanent efficacy of apparently 
inadequate means, which neither the strictest 
scrutiny, nor the lapse of time, could ever dis- 
prove ? Yet the number of such miracles is very 
considerable. Upwards of fifty distinct instances 
are related in detail ; besides many references 
of the Evangelists to others, of which they have 
given only a general notice. Now a number of 
the same kind certainly adds to the probability of 
each ; but much more a number of various kinds. 
One or two might be the effect of chance ; but, 
as the number and variety of regular phenomena 
prove the existence of one designing cause, so 
do the number and variety of our Lord's mira- 



a See the latter hypothesis ably supported by M. Bonnet. 
Rwherches de Christianisme, Chap. vi. 

N 



Lecture VIII. 



cles tend still more and more to shew the cer- 
tainty of the position, which they were wrought 
to prove, that he spoke the words of God. And 
the variety of manner in which he performed 
them, tends still more strongly to establish the 
same conclusion. For we find that even the 
same diseases are sometimes cured by one external 
application, and sometimes by another; sometimes 
only by a word, sometimes even when the sufferer 
is in a distant place ; as if to shew us that it was 
not by any charm, any more than by chance, but 
by the power of God, that the effect was pro- 
duced. 

Consider further the publicity of the miracles. 
They were not wrought, like the pretended ones 
of ancient or modern times, in private, or under 
circumstances which might evade scrutiny, or 
render it inapplicable ; but openly, in the face of 
day, before assembled multitudes of friends and 
foes ; on the highway, in the house, in the syna- 
gogue, and in the temple; wherever an unfortunate 
sufferer presented himself, or application was made 
on his behalf. When the actual performance of 
the cure was more private, its reality and perma- 
nence was equally ascertainable. It was obvious 
to all who had known the previous condition of 
those who had received it ; and they themselves, 
even when Jesus attempted to restrain them, 
published abroad the miracle which had been 



Lecture VIIL 



195 



wrought, and that Jesus was he, who had made 
them whole. To this frequency and publicity of 
the miracles of Jesus is to be attributed that full 
persuasion, which all applicants evinced, of his 
ability to grant their request. For such confidence 
could result only from their knowledge of his 
previous miracles. To the same cause must we 
also ascribe the remarks made by the astonished 
multitude, that he had f done all things well 
and that " it was never so seen in Israel." Hence 
also they asked, es whether when Christ came, he 
would do more miracles than Jesus." Hence also 
their disposition, on some occasions, even forcibly 
to urge him to assume a temporal kingdom; and on 
others, their confident expectation that he would do 
so of his own accord. But, at all such conjunctures, 
Jesus shewed in another way his superhuman qua- 
lities. He was always aware of their designs and 
wishes; and displayed his knowledge of them by his 
words and by his actions. Nay, during the whole 
course of his ministry, in various ways, and on nu- 
merous occasions, he manifested this his intimate 
knowledge of the spiritual as well as of the ma- 
terial world ; and, as he saw fit, employed either 
the one or the other to evince his divine authority. 

The publicity and reality of the miracles of 
Jesus are attested even by his enemies. For, 
since they were not themselves convinced by 
them, they deemed it necessary to diminish, if 

N 2 



196 



Lecture VIII. 



possible, their influence on the people. They 
therefore circulated cavils against them • but of 
such a nature, as implied no doubt of their reality. 
Once,, indeed, they ventured to scrutinize one of 
the miracles of Jesus; but they were unable in 
any degree to disprove it. They could only con- 
ceal their inability to deny the fact, by objecting 
to the character of Jesus. " Give God the praise," 
said they to the blind man, to whom Jesus had 
restored his sight; tf we know that this man is a 
sinner, because he keepeth not the sabbath -day." 
But all their opposition and misrepresentations 
were insufficient to check the prepossessions of the 
people in his favour ; and therefore, as they were 
not disposed to abandon their own disbelief, they 
found it necessary to have recourse to violence. 
This resolution they made, not because Jesus had 
given no proof of his mission, but because he had 
proved it so abundantly. " This man, said they, 
doeth many miracles ; if we let him alone, all 
men will believe on him." 

And why should not all men believe on him ? 
For the method which was taken by his enemies 
to arrest the progress of his doctrine, does not 
invalidate, but supports and confirms, the argu- 
ment, that ie the works which he did bore witness 
of him, that the Father had sent him." They con- 
fessed that miracles were done ; and how can we 
conceive them to have been done without divine 



Lecture VIII. 



197 



assistance? Why was Jesus divinely assisted, if 
not also divinely commissioned ; and if cc the works 
which he did, were not those, which the Father 
had given him to finish?" His works were 
wrought to prove the divine authority of what 
he taught, and the divine appointment of what 
he did and suffered. The proof is sufficient 
for the conviction of mankind, if these works 
were so wrought. And that they were, we 
have evidence various in its kind, satisfactory 
in its nature, and infallible in its consequence. 
There may have been many unfounded reports 
of miraculous works ; many instances, in which 
knavery has contrived the semblance of a mi- 
racle, and in which credulity has too readily 
admitted such pretences. But an examination of 
the Gospel miracles soon evinces their decided 
superiority over the boasted wonders of heathen- 
ism, superstition, and imposture. They were 
wrought not among friends, but in the midst of 
enemies; not in support of an established religion, 
but as the foundation of a new one ; in further- 
ance of a religion, not which favoured the prejudices 
of mankind, but which ran entirely counter to 
them. They were wrought by the author of that 
religion among those to whom miracles were not 
unknown ; who demanded them of him in proof 
of his mission ; who well understood the force and 
nature of the evidence which they afforded ; who 



198 



Lecture VI I L 



were qualified to judge of their reality ; and who, 
because of his humble and unambitious life, were 
not afraid to scrutinize them. 

Jesus came in humility. But these his mighty 
works abundantly compensated for this want of 
the trappings of outward dignity. We recog- 
nize in him such wisdom benevolence, and 
dignified condescension, as powerfully bespeak 
our veneration. He claimed to be the Son of God, 
the Christ, the Saviour of the world ; and by his 
works we believe him so to be ; for if we deny 
the veracity of the Messenger, we insult the 
authoritv of him who sent him. Other than 
sent of God, Jesus could not be. The peculiar 
authority with which he both spoke his doctrines, 
and also commanded the unclean spirits, the 
winds and the waves, the diseases of the living* 
and the spirits of the dead, might, indeed, have 
seemed to argue a confidence little suited to one 
" in the likeness of man," had they not invariably 
obeyed him, and proved him more than man. For 
we see exhibited in the splendour of his miracles, 
all the dignity of the Messiah, all the glory of the 
Divinity ; a dignity and a glory, in comparison of 
which all the splendour of earthly kingdoms is 
poor and fading. The one is the glory of man ; 
the other the glory, the wisdom, and the power, 
of God. Yet the Jews were so prejudiced against 
the doctrines of Jesus, which exposed their de- 



Lecture VIII. 



199 



pravity, and taught them a purity after which 
they hated to be reformed, that his miracles 
scarcely restrained them from ridding themselves 
of his reproofs. But by these miracles we may 
see demonstrated the divinity of his doctrine. 
Whether it attacks our vices, abases our pride, 
reveals our ignorance, or calls us in repentance, 
humility, and self-abasement, to submit to the 
righteousness of God, we reject it at our peril. 

6C I have greater witness than that of John/' 
said our Lord in the text, when alluding to his 
works. He elsewhere connected the witness of 
John with the witness of his own works, in a man- 
ner which presents to us a striking coincidence in 
the train of thought, and which may, perhaps, appeal 
to our hearts more effectually than even the most 
convincing reasonings. — When Jesus had con- 
cluded that address to the multitudes, in which, 
after the departure of John's disciples, he in- 
structed them respecting the character and office 
of John, and how " wisdom would be justified of 
her children/' both with respect to John and 
himself; he then began, by a transition similar to 
that in the text, " to upbraid the cities in which 
most of his mighty works were done, because they 
repented notV "Woe unto thee, Chorazin, 
woe unto thee, Bethsaida ; for if the mighty works 



a See Matt. xi. 20—30. 



200 Lecture VJII 

which were done in you, had been done in 
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long 
ago in sackcloth and ashes ; Sodom would have 
remained unto this day. But I say unto you, 
That it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, 
and Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for you." 
If so, how shall it fare with some of us in that 
day , whose prejudices are less inveterate, and 
yet, perhaps, also less excusable, than those of 
the Jew; who with the judgment and under- 
standing believe in Jesus, and yet have not 
repented ; it may be are still wedded to our sins, 
and have resolved to delay repentance. sc Repent, 
and believe the Gospel," were the first words 
which Jesus delivered in the cities of Galilee, 
where his mighty works had been done, and 
where they continued to be done, in confirmation 
of his authority. We may know, then, that if 
our's is not that cc godly sorrow, which worketh 
repentance unto salvation," if we do not with the 
heart believe unto righteousness, then, — whether 
the seed be taken out of our hearts by the father 
of the lies of infidelity, or whether in time of 
temptation we fall away, or whether the seed be 
choked by the cares of this world, or the deceit- 
fulness of riches, — it shall be more tolerable for 
Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, in the day of judgment, 
than for us. For " God is no respecter of per- 
sons," and " his judgment is according to truth/" 



Lecture VIII. 



201 



If such be the condemnation to which we are 
liable, how ought we to be stirred up to strict and 
serious self-examination, when we hear our Lord 
address the Father, who had sent him, in words 
like these ; " I thank thee, O Father, Lord of 
heaven and earthy because thou hast hid these 
things from the wise and prudent, and hast re- 
vealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for 
so it seemed good in thy sight." Now if there 
be sins, errors, and delusions, of the under- 
standing ; if there be ee a way that seemeth right 
unto a man, but the end of which is death 
if we ce cannot enter into the kingdom of God, 
except we be converted, and become as little 
children/' in all docility, humility, innocence, and 
sincerity ; let us then pray, that ce the thoughts of 
our hearts may be cleansed by the operation of 
his holy Spirit/' and that, "as new-born babes, 
we may desire the sincere milk of his word that 
we may grow thereby." If such be our desire of 
divine instruction, and such our fitness to receive 
it, then shall we duly prize, and study, and obey 
those holy Scriptures, which, through faith in 
Christ Jesus, can make us wise unto salvation. 
Then will our faith and hope be strengthened, 
and our religious inquiries be directed, by our 
Lord's next words : cc All things are delivered 
unto me of my Father ; and no man knoweth 
the Son, but the Father, neither knoweth any 



202 



Lecture VIII. 



man the Father,, save the Son, and he to whom- 
soever the Son will reveal him/' We may partake 
of so divine a benefit, as to ce know the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent/' if we 
are truly disciples of Jesus. He was sent by the 
Father to be our teacher and our Saviour ; and 
he is as condescending and gracious, as he is 
powerful and glorious. 

This alarming, yet affectionate, discourse is 
concluded with words, which always appear to me 
to exemplify that consummate wisdom, that divine 
charm, by which our Lord's instructions delight 
the ear, captivate the affections, and impress 
the conscience; which must even penetrate and 
warm the heart of the unbeliever; and which 
f have a beauty and pathos in them, which 
although the Christian feels, the commentator 
cannot express V Compare with the words last 
cited those which we are about to cite; their 
meaning will then be obvious, and may God 
impress them on our hearts ! cc Come unto me, 
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and 
learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart ; 
and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my 
yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 

a These are the words of Bishop Home in his Commentary 
on Ps. lxxiii. 25, 26\ But they are as applicable to these words 
of our Saviour, as to those beautiful words of the Psalmist. 



LECTURE IX. 



OUR LORD S APPEAL TO HIS MIRACLES IN PROOF OF 
HIS MESSIAHSHIP. 



St. Matthew XI. 2 — 6. 

Noiv when John had heard in the prison the works of 
Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, 
Art thou he that should come, or do ice look for 
another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and 
shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the 
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are 
raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to 
them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be 
offended in me. 

This message of the Baptist to Jesus is an inci- 
dent of so remarkable a character, that probably 
few attentive Christians peruse the account of it, 
without a wish to be satisfied respecting the 
occasion and the object of it. A reference to the 
Commentators will certainly make the inquirer 
acquainted with several different opinions on the 
subject; some of which rest upon mere conjecture 
and gratuitous assumption ; and others do not in- 



204 



Lecture IX. 



elude that extended review of the ministry of the 
Baptist, which is so necessary in order to the 
right apprehension both of this and of many other 
questions. Such opinions,, however, we shall not 
notice in a way of formal refutation, but only so 
far as may be necessary to clear our path in that 
inquiry, which will in the first instance occupy our 
attention, viz. how the question respecting the 
character and office of Jesus was situated, at the 
time when the Baptist sent this message to him. 
And as our Lord, in his answer, appeals to his 
works in support of a claim to somewhat more 
than merely a divine mission ; it will be our en- 
deavour in the latter part of this Lecture to shew 
the nature and justice of that appeal. 

I. In order to ascertain the occasion, and 
intention of the Baptist's message, which we are 
first to consider, we must have recourse to (he 
Evangelical records ; which afford sufficient, and 
the only legitimate, materials for our purpose. — 
When the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus, his 
own public labours had for some time ceased ; 
for he had been shut up in prison by Herod the 
tetrarch of Galilee. But, ever after that event, 
Jesus had gone about the cities of Galilee, pro- 
claiming the glad tidings of the kingdom, and 
healing all manner of sickness and disease among 
the people. After some time he selected twelve 



Lecture IX. 



205 



of his disciples to be his constant attendants; 
giving them the title of Apostles, with reference 
to their future mission round Galilee in his life 
time, and to all nations after his death. He still 
continued to exercise his miraculous powers,, in 
healing the diseased ; and, at length, he raised to 
life the only son of a widow, whom she, attended 
by much people of the city of Nain, was carrying 
out for burial as Jesus was entering the city. 
A great impression was produced by this signal 
miracle. " There came a great fear on all ; and 
they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet 
is risen up among us ; and, That God hath visited 
his people. And this rumour of him went forth 
throughout all Judea, and throughout all the 
region round about. And the disciples of John 
shewed him of all these things V This state- 
ment of St. Luke, that they " told him concerning 
all these things," leaves us no room to doubt that 
they gave him a full account of all the proceedings 
of Jesus. He might with reason rely on the cor- 
rectness of their report ; and the subject was one 
of such interest to him, that he would as little 
want the disposition, as he did the time and 
opportunity, to hear all that they could tell him 
respecting the doctrine and miracles of Jesus. 
That Jesus had not yet stated himself to be the 



a Luke vii. 1 1—^18. 



206 



Lecture IX. 



Messiah,, it is scarcely necessary to remark. And, 
therefore, as far as that fact is considered in con- 
nexion with the conduct of the Baptist, a reason 
appears why, when, upon hearing all these things, 
John sent two of his disciples to Jesus, the 
question propounded by them was, cc Art thou 
he that should come, or do we look for another 1" 
But again, we know that a person named Jesus 
had formerly come from Galilee to John, to be 
baptized of him. John then bore to him a re- 
markable testimony ; stating that he was the very 
person of whom he had before spoken in several 
predictions ; and applying to him not only the 
attributes which he had previously specified, but 
also several others still more exalted. And before 
he separated from Jesus, to meet him no more, 
he directed several of his own disciples to him. 
They were afterwards numbered with the twelve 
Apostles; whom Jesus had selected from the body 
of his disciples previously to the question proposed 
by John. That question affords not the slightest 
indication that he supposed the Jesus, who was 
now so celebrated in Galilee, to be a person dif- 
ferent from him whom he had baptized in Judea, 
and who had come from Galilee for that purpose. 
His own disciples could have satisfied him on that 
point; for at an earlier period, after John had 
retired into Galilee, they came to him, and said, 
cc Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to 



Lecture IX. 



whom thou barest witness, behold the same bap- 
tizeth, and all men come to him a ." It was no 
long time afterwards that John was imprisoned; 
and Jesus, who had become so well known in 
Judea, and whose miracles the Galileans also had 
seen at the feast of the passover, himself went 
into Galilee ; taught in their synagogues, being 
glorified of all, and increased continually in 
notoriety and popularity even till the time that 
John sent to him the message by his disciples. 
It is also certain that no others but John and 
Jesus had appeared as divine teachers, and with 
a belief on the part of the people of their pro- 
phetic character ; and certainly that no other than 
Jesus had wrought miracles. And he, having 
wrought his first miracle at Cana in Galilee, 
shortly after his baptism, afterwards wrought 
others in Judea; and then, upon beginning his 
stated ministry in Galilee, wrought them unin- 
terruptedly up to the period when he raised the 
widow's son, and the incident now under con- 
sideration occurred. 

So far then all is sufficiently obvious. John the 
Baptist, when he sent to ask of Jesus, whether he 
was cc he that should come/' could not but have 
been assured, that he, to whom he had borne wit- 
ness beyond Jordan, was the very person, the 



a John iii. 26'. 



208 



Lecture IX. 



miraculons attestation to whose divine mission 
was now so decided and notorious. In this the 
supposed difficulty consists. Why, it is asked, 
should he, who had so long known that Jesus was 
the Messiah ; now give reason to suppose that he 
doubted it? Why should he who had pointed 
him out as the Messiah to others, now ask to be 
satisfied upon that point himself? — I am ready to 
allow that John might believe Jesus to be the 
Messiah ; for so were many of the people disposed 
to believe, who had not been favoured with the 
divine intimations which he had received. He 
expressly taught both the messengers of the San- 
hedrim, and his own disciples, that he himself was 
ft not the Christ," but that he was cc sent before 
him a ." Some of his own disciples he introduced 
to Jesus, stating that he was ec the Son of God/' 
" the same who would baptize with the Holy 
Ghost," and ec the Lamb of God, that taketh away 
the sin of the world." They indeed made the 
inference for themselves, and it was doubtless 
a just one, that they had ^ found the Messiah V 
But we are not authorized from hence to conclude 
that John had expressly taught them this ; for we 
do not find it upon record that he ever did, nor 
have we any reason to believe that he was com- 
missioned to do so. It is, however, this gratuitous 



a John i. 20. iii. 2S. 



b Ibid. i. 41, 45. 



Lecture IX. 



209 



hypothesis, which has brought an appearance of 
difficulty upon the question before us, which has 
subjected the Baptist to the imputation of incon- 
sistency, and which, in a great measure, has pre- 
vented a right apprehension of the real state of the 
case. But we confidently deny that we have any 
authority, from the Evangelical records, to say that 
John ever ascribed to Jesus the title of the 
Messiah. It was, in fact, as expedient that John 
should not made such a declaration, as that Jesus 
himself should avoid it. And we know that Jesus 
did not, among the Jews, 'publicly avow his Mes- 
siah ship in express terms, except when he solemnly 
declared it to the Sanhedrim at the close of his 
ministry ; but only to the Samaritans, for reasons 
explained above, and to the Apostles in private 
after their own confession of his Messiahship. — 
This circumstance should never be forgotten in 
the perusal of the Gospels. 

Having now disposed of those visionary hypo- 
theses, which serve only to perplex the question, 
it will only be needful briefly to recal to your 
minds some of the statements of the Evangelists, 
respecting the proceedings of the Baptist and of 
Jesus, in order that the object of John's message 
may be fully seen. 

John proclaimed that cc the kingdom of heaven 
was at hand and stated that his was cc the voice 
of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the 

O 



210 



Lecture IX. 



way of the Lord." He spoke of one to "come after 
him adding, that himself cc came baptizing 
with water, in order that he ' might be made 
manifest to Israel." But, as he denied that 
himself was either the Christ, or Elias, or that 
prophet, so neither did he state which of these 
characters belonged to his successor. Yet he spe- 
cified many definite parts of his character, office, 
and proceedings ; and one especially, which was 
speedily verified in Jesus, that his successor 
would be one ic mightier than himself/' for cc John 
did no miracle." When the jealousy of his disci- 
ples was excited by the growing popularity of 
Jesus, as if they had wholly misunderstood his own 
frequent reference to one who was to surpass him^ 
he reminded them that he had told them that cc he 
was not the Christ, but was sent before him." 
And though he was not commissioned to declare 
to them that Jesus was the Christ, he very 
solemnly inculcated upon them the necessity of 
receiving his testimony ; and while he stated that 
his joy was fulfilled by the intelligence which they 
brought, he also declared to them, cc He must 
increase, but I must decrease." It would be 
superfluous to dilate upon the circumstances which 
fully accomplished this prediction; for you know 
how John's public ministry was entirely termi- 
nated by his imprisonment, while that of Jesus 
still proceeded with uninterrupted success. We 



Lecture IX. 



211 



observe, however, more than once, besides on the 
occasion of the message to Jesus, that several are 
distinguished both by name, and by their proceed- 
ings, as still remaining peculiarly the disciples of 
John. Nor did circumstances allow that he, to 
whom they remained so much attached, should, 
even then, explicitly declare to them that Jesus 
was the Messiah. As he himself told them, cc a 
man can receive nothing, except it be given him 
from above." He knew that such a declaration 
would be beyond his commission from above. But, 
after the miracle at Nain, and all the others of 
which he had heard in the prison, he judged it 
expedient to send two of his disciples to put the 
question to Jesus himself. He thus indicated to 
them his own expectations ; and though he could 
not himself venture to declare the fact, if indeed 
he were yet fully acquainted with it, yet he might 
suppose that he, — of whom he had declared that 
<: he came from heaven, and was above all, that to 
him the Spirit was given without measure, and 
that the Father, loving him as the Son, had given 
all things into his hand," — might see fit, at that 
period, to give an explicit answer to the question, 
cc Art thou he that should come, or do we look for 
another ?" 

I have said that John might at that period have 
indulged such a supposition. That he supposed 
some such thing, the proposing of the question at 

o 2 



?A2 



Lecture IX. 



all sufficiently shews. But I have not said, with- 
out reason, that at that particular period he con- 
ceived such a notion. There is a peculiarity in 
the phraseology of St. Matthew in our text, which 
seems distinctly to inform us of this, and to confirm 
all that we have already advanced with respect to 
the Baptist's views and proceedings. In the verse 
preceding our text, he says, " When Jesus had 
made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, 
he departed thence, to teach and to preach in their 
cities/' But he does not go on to say, " When 
John had heard in the prison the words of Jesus/' 
but, <e when John had heard in the prison the 
works of the Christ (rod Xpiarov), he sent two of 
his disciples/' Now it is very true, that in some 
of the later books of the New Testament, we find 
the official title Christ, and the proper name Jesus, 
applied to our Lord, as perhaps convertible terms. 
But if that be the case in this passage, it is the 
only instance in the Gospels, and, I think I may 
say, in the historical books of the New Testament, 
where it is so used in the ordinary narrative. 
There is, I believe, no other instance where it 
does not occur as a title of the office which we 
ascribe to Jesus, and not as the proper name of 
him as an individual. And this consideration will, 
I think, dispose us to think, that neither is this 
passage a solitary exception ; that St, Matthew 
meant by using that term in our text, to say some- 



Lecture IX. 



213 



thing more, than is usually understood by the 
passage ; more, in short, than if he had merely 
stated, that cc John had heard in the prison the 
works of Jesus/' I conceive that he meant to 
say, that when John had been told of all these 
things by his disciples, he perceived that he had 
received intelligence of the performance of the 
works of the Messiah, of those ascribed to him 
by the prophets. And, therefore, after Jesus had 
exhibited such indication of his Messiahship, he 
might suppose the period arrived, when he could 
properly send his disciples to ask of him ce whether 
he was he that should come." And though the 
reasons, because of which Jesus had hitherto de- 
clined an explicit avowal, still existed, and therefore 
he did not give a direct answer ; yet, as we shall 
soon see,, his answer was such as would fully con- 
firm the expectations of the Baptist. Whether his 
ideas of the character of Jesus were previously so 
full and definite, we have no data to determine ; 
but we may at least venture to conclude, that he, 
who like Simeon, had waited for and announced 
the consolation of Israel, did not see death, until he 
both had seen, and recognized, the Lord's Christ, 
respecting whom it had before been revealed to 
him by the Holy Ghost, that he was " the Lamb 
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," 
and that " whosoever believeth in him, the Son 
of God, hath everlasting life." 



214 



Lecture IX. 



It will be expedient to notice somewhat more 
particularly the question itself, which John's dis- 
ciples proposed, in compliance with their master's 
direction. — "Art thou he that should come, or do 
we look for another?'" This evidently implies 
a supposition either that Jesus was the Messiah, 
or that the Messiah was to succeed him. It is 
well known, that in consequence of the passage of 
the prophet Malachi, which spoke of the Messiah's 
forerunner under the title of Elijah, the Jews ex- 
pected Elijah to return in person, and inaugurate 
the Messiah. John had disavowed all claim to 
the character of Elijah in that respect. But we 
find that our Lord's disciples, after his transfigura- 
tion, proposed to him a question respecting the opi- 
nion of the Scribes, " that Elias must first come." 
And previously to that time, when our Lord asked 
of his disciples, what were the prevalent opinions 
respecting himself, they mentioned, that ff some 
said that he was Elias." It is far from improbable, 
that, although the question of the Baptist was occa- 
sioned by the report of works characteristic of the 
Messiah, it was supposed by him, or at least by his 
disciples, that they might indicate Jesus to be Eli- 
jah. For the more immediate occasion of the mes- 
sage was the raising of the young man of Nain from 
the dead ; and that was a work which Elijah had 
wrought, as recorded in the Old Testament. The 
state of things at that time, therefore, appeared to 



Lecture IX. 



justify the conclusion, either that Jesus was ac- 
tually the Messiah ; or that he was Elijah, and 
that they must still expect another as the Messiah. 
Our Lord gave an answer obviously designed to 
strengthen the opinion that he was he that should 
come; but he left it to John to inform them more 
fully what were the works characteristic of the 
Messiah, and how the prophecies were fulfilled in 
him. He himself, after high encomiums upon the 
Baptist, taught the multitudes that he was (c the 
Messenger, who was to be sent before the face of 
the Lord, to prepare his way ;" and he also in- 
structed them to consider him as ic that Elias 
which zvas for to come*/' And we know how he 
afterwards declared to his disciples that "Elias had 
already come, and that they had done to him what 
they listed;" so as to make them cc understand that 
he spake to them of John the Baptist V And if 
John were the Elias, then Jesus was the Messiah, 
of the Prophets. 

It now remains that we notice the answer, 
which Jesus returned, to a question proposed 
under the circumstances, and with the views, 
which we have now, at some length, endeavoured 
to explain. 

The disciples of John arrived at a time, when 
several opportunities offered themselves to our 



a Matt. xi. 14. 



b Matt. xvii. 10—13. 



216 



Lecture IX. 



Lord for the exercise of his miraculous powers. 
<e In that same hour he cured many of their 
infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and 
unto many that were blind he gave sight*." They 
had seen and heard of his former mighty works, 
and they beheld him still equally ready and able 
to continue them. cc Then Jesus answering said 
unto them., Go your way,, and tell John what 
things ye have seen and heard; how that the 
blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, 
the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor 
the Gospel is preached ; and blessed is he, who- 
soever shall not be offended in me." 

This answer consists of three parts ; first a state- 
ment respecting his miracles, next respecting his 
teaching, and lastly a caution against being offended 
in him. And the question being, cc whether he 
was he that should come," since it was only from 
the prophets that they could learn that any 
Messiah might justly be expected to come, and by 
what characters he might be known when he did 
come, we may rightly be prepared to suppose, 
that an appeal is herein made to the prophecies. 
Yet it is not actually so stated. It appears, at 
first sight, to be merely a statement of present 
and obvious facts ; and unless the reality of those 
facts were undeniable, no inference whatever 



a Luke vii. 21. 



Lecture IX. 



could be drawn from it. But the language which 
our Lord uses is almost literally a citation of well 
known prophecies • and that he should be able 
in such a manner to describe what John's disciples 
had both aforetime, and in that very same houi% 
seen and heard, could not but strikingly convince 
them that the prophets had spoken of what was 
now before them, and that he who thus wrought, 
and thus taught, was u he that should come, and 
that they needed not to look for another/' 

The Baptist was himself described by the 
prophet Isaiah ; and certain words in the fortieth 
chapter of that prophet, he had applied to him- 
self 1 '. In the same chapter,, the prophet adds, 
" Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God. 
Behold the Lord God shall come with strong- 
hand, and his arm shall rule for him ; behold, his 
reward is with him, and his work before him V 
The Baptist had seen, and had borne record that 
Jesus was the Son of God; and stated that, 
<f coming after him, he was mightier than he." 
That attribute was now verified by his miracles. 
But Isaiah had been still more particular on that 
subject. <e Behold your God shall come with 
vengeance, even God with a recompence ; he 
will come and save you. Then shall the eyes of 
the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall 



b Isai. xl. 3—5. John i. 23. 



c Isai. xl. 9, 10. 



218 



Lecture IX. 



be unstopped ; then shall the lame man leap as an 
hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing* V And 
again^ "He will swallow up death in victory V 
And again, cc Thy dead men shall live, to- 
gether with my dead body they shall arise V 
Many passages occur to the same effect. The 
works to which they refer had been already per- 
formed by Jesus before the disciples of John 
came to him ; others were performed in their 
presence, of which we have no particular account; 
and with unfailing power did Jesus persevere in 
these divine works. We can examine for our- 
selves the evidence of their reality. 



a Isai. xxxv. 4 — 6\ Also xlii. 6, 7- b Isai. xxv. 8. 

c Isai. xxvi. 19. See also Job xix. 25. Dan. xii. 2, 9 — 13. 
Hos. xiii. 14. Gen. iii. 15, 19- It is not, in so many words, 
predicted by the prophets, that Messiah would raise the dead. 
For, perhaps, the passages cited above rather refer to the general 
resurrection, than to the miracles of the Messiah. Yet, as they 
speak of the consequences which would result from his successful 
undertaking, which was, in its original design, the redemption of 
man from mortality as the penalty of sin, by obtaining the pardon, 
and effecting the abolition of sin ; the raising of the dead, equally, 
if not more than other miracles, was a proof of his Messiahship, 
which had, virtually at least, been noticed by the prophets. And 
our Saviour's statements in John v. 21 — 29- may be considered 
as a comment on such passages as we have referred to. If " the 
Son quickeneth whom he will/' and proved his possession of this 
power, even during his ministry on earth, by causing " the dead 
to hear his voice, and live," we need not marvel at this, because 
" the hour is coming, when all that are in the graves shall hear his 
voice, and shall come forth/' 



Lecture IX, 



219 



"The blind receive their sight." Can we 
forget the cure which Jesus wrought, in the pre- 
sence of the multitude, upon the two blind men 
who sat by the way-side begging; and that gradual 
cure of the blind man near Bethsaida, by which 
Jesus so fully shewed that every change was by 
his agency, and at his will. " Since the world 
began it was not heard that any man opened the 
eyes of one born blind." Yet this still more signal 
miracle Jesus performed ; and we shall do well to 
examine the full relation, given by the Evangelist 
St. John, respecting restoration of sight to the 
man who was blind from his birth. For this 
miracle was severely scrutinized by the Jewish 
council ; but, to their confusion, the more they 
examined, the less were they able to deny either 
that the man was born blind, or that he now saw, 
or that Jesus had opened his eyes. — M The lame 
walked also at the command of Jesus. Let it be 
sufficient to instance the cure of the impotent bed- 
ridden sufferer at the pool of Bethesda ; and the 
paralytic who was let down through the roof, 
because of the multitude who crowded the doors, 
but who, at the word of Jesus, was enabled to take 
up his bed, and walk. — Many (C lepers also were 
cleansed." And, that the reality of the cure might 
be legally ascertained and recorded, Jesus com- 
manded them,, as the law required, to cc go and 
shew themselves to the priests, as a testimony 



220 



Lecture IX. 



against themselves " if they afterwards ventured 
to deny the cure. — Do we ask whether he also 
made ff the deaf to hear?" Let the confession of 
the multitude who were eye-witnesses satisfy us. 
(( He hath done all things well ; he maketh both 
the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak." — The 
''dead also were raised up." Not only the widow's 
son at Nain, who was about to be committed to 
the grave, was restored to life ; but the daughter 
of Jairus, who had just expired; and Lazarus also,, 
who had been dead four days, upon whom the 
mouth of the sepulchre had been closed, and the 
witnesses of whose resurrection were numerous 
friends of the family who had come from Jerusalem 
to condole with them. Rightly, therefore, did the 
people observe, " When Christ cometh, will he do 
more miracles than this man doeth?" They were 
the very works of the Messiah, and they needed 
not to look for him in any other than Jesus. 

But our Lord, having directed the inquirers to 
these considerations, added another, which might 
make the conclusion still more satisfactory. <c To 
the poor the Gospel is preached." It was not his 
miraculous power alone, but the subject of his 
doctrine, and the persons to whom it was preach- 
ed, and for whom it was suited, that evinced him 
to be " he that should come." The Baptist had 
himself ce seen the Spirit descending upon him, 
and remaining on him," and had testified that 



Lecture IX. 



221 



"God gave not the Spirit by measure unto him." 
Both he and his disciples would remember of 
whom it had been declared by the same prophet 
Isaiah, " The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, 
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach glad 
tidings to the meek\" If, then, such were the 
ministry of Jesus, they had another circumstance 
to corroborate that inference, which they might 
draw from his miracles, in favour of his Mes- 
siahship. — But the same prophet had also uttered 
other predictions,, which would equally be fulfilled 
in their season ; though blessed were they only to 
whom the darker portions of them did not apply. 
(e Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion 
for a foundation stone a tried stone, a precious 
corner-stone, a sure foundation ; he that believeth 
shall not make haste b " or stumble at that stone. 
Again, Isaiah says in another place, "He shall 
be for a sanctuary ; but for a stone of stumbling, 
and a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel ; 
for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jeru- 
salem. And many among them shall stumble, and 
fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken 0 .'* 
Blessed is he, said Jesus in conclusion, and 
alluding to these predictions, " Blessed is he, who- 
soever shall not be offended in me." Too many 
of the men of that generation were^ however, 



a Isai. lxi. Tit b Ibid, xxviii. 16. 



c Ibid. viii. 1 4, 15. 



222 



Lecture IX. 



offended in him ; for he came not in that pomp, 
and with those offers of temporal ease, and riches, 
and pre-eminence, which alone were congenial to 
their carnal and groveling desires. He that should 
come, was " meek, lowly, and having salvation 
but a salvation from sin and condemnation, and 
which led to pardon, and holiness, and immortality. 
ct They would not come to him, that they might 
have life." Miracles of vengeance, therefore, over- 
took them, because miracles of mercy failed to 
convince. 

We shall hereafter have occasion to advert to 
the motives and objections, which made the cross 
of Christ, and his character, and doctrines, to 
become, even before his crucifixion, a stumbling- 
block to the Jews. But we may surely observe 
at this period of our course, that the miracles 
which he wrought proved that "the Father had 
sent him;" and that the correspondency of these 
miracles, as well as of his doctrine, and of the 
whole of his ministry, to prophetic description, 
proved him to be the Messiah. And, before 
I conclude, I would notice some other prophecies 
respecting the Messiah, and compare them with 
another appeal to his miracles in proof of his Mes- 
siahship, which our Lord made upon another oc- 
casion, and in a different connexion. 

We quoted above, from the fortieth chapter of 
Isaiah, the words in which the prophet speaks of 



Lecture IX. 



223 



the "Lord God coming- with a strong hand, 
having his reward with him, and his work before 
him." He thus proceeds in the following verse. 
(< He shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall 
gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in 
his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are 
with young." Compare with the whole of that 
passage another in the prophecy of Ezekiel. 
" Thus saith the Lord God * Behold I, even I, 
will both search out my sheep 3 and seek them 
out. — I will feed my flock, and I will cause them 
to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that 
which was lost, and bring again that which was 
driven away, and will bind up that which was 
broken, and will strengthen that which was sick ; 
but I will destroy the fat and the strong ; and I 
will feed them with judgment. — And I will set up 
one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, 
even my servant David ; he shall feed them, and 
be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their 
God, and my servant David a prince among them % 
I the Lord have spoken it a ." — Now compare, 
with these passages, our Lord's beautiful and well 
known discourse concerning himself as the good 
Shepherd, delivered immediately after he had 
wrought one of the miracles mentioned in our 
text, the healing of the man born blind. That 



a Ezek. xxxiv. 11 — 24. 



224 



Lecture IX, 



discourse, the previous instructions, and the recent 
miracles of Jesus, caused a division among the 
Jews; and they therefore came round about him 
in Solomon's porch, and said unto him, " How 
long* dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the 
Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, 
referring, as it should seem, tc his discourse before 
the Sanhedrim after the miracle at Bethesda, " I 
told you, and ye believed not, 'the works that I do 
in my Father's name they bear witness of me.' But 
ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as 
I said unto you V He then spoke of his power 
to save, of his unity with the Father, and of the 
sanction given by his miracles to his claim of the 
title e< Son of God," as being " he whom the Father 
had sanctified and sent into the world. " — It would 
be easy to shew, from a comparison of the whole 
of these statements with prophecy, that he here 
appealed to his works in proof of his Messiah- 
ship ; and also that he endeavoured to lead them 
to acknowledge, that his claim to divinity, his 
doctrines, and the professed object of his mission, 
all corresponded to the prophetic description of 
the Messiah. 

The preaching of a lowly, spiritual, and cru- 
cified Messiah, ever was to the Jews a stumbling- 
block; and to the Greeks it appeared foolishness. 



a John x. 24, &c. 



Lecture IX. 



225 



The offence of the cross has not even yet ceased. 
Some there are, even at this day, who cavil at the 
evidences of the Gospel. Some are ashamed of the 
peculiar doctrines of the cross of Christ, in which 
they should rather glory. And others value not the 
offer of pardon, aspire not after the holiness to 
which they are called, and are averse from the prac- 
tice of self-denial, and the cultivation of humility. 
But still, " blessed are they whosoever are not of- 
fended in Jesus I" And should any one of you ask, 
who they are that attain this blessedness, and what 
are the rewards promised for your encouragement, 
I would answer in the divine words of my Master 
and your's : " Blessed are the poor in spirit; for 
their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are 
they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted. 
Blessed are the meek ; for they shall inherit the 
earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and 
thirst after righteousness ; for they shall be filled. 
Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall obtain 
mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart ; for they 
shall see God b ." 

We have seen that Jesus, in proof of his 
authority, gave sight to the blind. From this 
miracle he also borrowed an illustration to teach 
us the nature of his mission, and our responsibility 
and danger in consequence of it. " For judg- 



b Matt. v. 1—8. 
P 



226 



Lecture IX. 



ment am I come into this world, that they 
which see not might see, and that they which 
see might be made blind V " I am come a 
light into this world, that whosoever believeth 
on me should not abide in darkness b ." — Did he 
also raise up the dead ? He did it that we might 
" believe that the Father had sent him that we 
might know that he is "the resurrection, and the 
life ; that he that believeth in him, though he 
were dead, yet shall live, and that whosoever liveth 
and believeth in him shall not die eternally And 
He still demands of us as he did of Martha, " Be- 
lievest thou this?" Blessed shall we be, if we can 
concur with her in the declaration, ct Yea, Lord, 
I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, 
that should come into the world c ." Once more 
then I repeat by way of caution, cc Blessed is he 
whosoever shall not be offended in Jesus !" 



. a John ix. 39. b Ibid. xii. 46. c Ibid. xi. 25—27. 



LECTURE X. 



our lord's ANSWER TO THE CAVIL WHICH IM- 
PUTED HIS DISPOSSESSION OF DEMONS TO SA- 
TANIC AGENCY. HE APPEALS TO THAT CLASS OF 
HIS MIRACLES AS INDICATING THE ESTABLISH- 
MENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 



St. Luke XI. 20. 

But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt 
the kingdom of God is come upon you. 

These words form a portion of that discourse,, in 
which our Lord answers the well known cavil of 
the Pharisees,, who more than once ascribed to 
Satanic co-operation the miracles mentioned in our 
text. Of no miracles have the Evangelists made 
more frequent mention, of none have they given 
a more circumstantial description. They are 
moreover of so remarkable a character, as to 
suggest an inquiry into their nature ; and as our 
Lord entered into an argument with a view of 
evincing the reality of divine co-operation in that 
particular class of miracles, and, having established 
his position, specified the particular inference to 

p 2 



228 



Lecture X. 



be drawn from it, the consideration of this subject 
must not be omitted, in a course of Lectures 
designed to review and illustrate our Lord's 
reasonings respecting the evidences of his mis- 
sion. 

Our attention must, in the first place, be di~ 
rected to the nature and reality of the miracles 
in question. — The Evangelists state a , that there 
were brought unto Jesus such as were tc possessed 
with devils/' such as were cc vexed with unclean 
spirits;" and that ff he healed them," and "cast 
out the spirits with a word." To whatever de- 
cision we come as the nature and origin of the 
affliction described in these terms, of its reality 
we can entertain no doubt. In some instances 
the Evangelists have recorded, either in their own 
words, or in the words of those who requested 
Jesus to extend his compassion to the sufferers, 
many of the symptoms of the disorder with which 
they were affected. They were the visible and 
pitiable exhibitions of melancholy, furious dis- 
traction, and convulsion. That all these ceased at 
the will and by the word of Jesus is not less evident. 
"The people were amazed, insomuch that they 
questioned among themselves saying, What thing 
is this ? What new doctrine is this ? for with 
authority commandeth he the unclean spirits, and 



a Matt. viii. 16. Luke vi. 18. 



Lecture X. 



229 



they do obey him b ." " The unclean spirit came 
out of one, and hurt him not c ' c the people 
found another sitting, and clothed, and in his 
right mind d the daughter of the Syrophenician 
woman ''was made whole from the hour/' in 
which Jesus declared to her that her petition was 
granted 6 . The Pharisees never denied the reality 
of the cure, though they endeavoured to account 
for it in such a way as might obviate the in- 
ferences which the multitude were disposed to 
make from it. And the fact itself must have been 
both notorious and undeniable, which drove them * 
to the necessity of adopting such a procedure. 

But still the question remains to be answered, 
what was the nature of the calamity itself, to 
which these unhappy sufferers had been subjected, 
and from which they were delivered? We are 
told by some that all these were cases either of 
insanity or of epilepsy ; and that they are to be 
considered as ordinary disorders, resulting from 
natural causes. Such an opinion makes this class 
of miracles to differ little, if at all, from the 
healing of the sick, the lame, and the blind. 
We have, in that case, a greater variety of in- 
stances of the same description of miracle ; and 
undoubtedly, the reality of the miracle being 



b Mark i. 27. 
c Matt. xv. 28. 



c Luke iv. 35. 



d Luke viii. 35. 



230 



Lecture X. 



undeniable, the same general inference is deduci- 
ble in favour of the divine mission and Messiah- 
ship of Jesus. But it cannot but occur to us, 
that there is a peculiarity in the inference drawn 
in the text from these miracles, which may dispose 
us to hesitate, at least, in admitting such an 
opinion ■ and to suppose that there may also be 
a peculiarity in the miracles themselves. But of 
this we shall be better prepared to judge hereafter. 

There is, however, another difficulty in ad- 
mitting that opinion. If the Evangelists had 
merely, as in other cases, described the symptoms 
of these disorders, the question whether they were 
at all different from ordinary disorders would never, 
probably, have been agitated. Did it appear, 
that those only who applied to Jesus in behalf of 
their suffering friends, ascribed their disorder to 
a demoniacal possession, and had we been told, 
at the same time, that such was the general 
opinion of the Jewish nation in that age, we 
might at once have granted that the notion was 
merely a vulgar error. But we naturally pause, 
when we find that the Evangelists themselves 
ascribe the disorder to the same cause, in a great 
variety of form and expression, repeatedly dis- 
tinguishing the demoniacs from other sick and 
afflicted persons \ Even this perhaps might not 



a Matt. iv. 24. Mark i. 34. Luke vi. 17, 18. 



Lecture X 



231 



stagger us, or be inexplicable. But we find that 
our Lord uses precisely the same language on all 
occasions. When enumerating his own miracles, 
and when specifying those which he empowered 
his disciples to perform, he clearly distinguishes 
the expulsion of demons from healing the sick, 
cleansing the lepers, and every other species of 
miraculous cure b . When we learn from the 
Gospel narrative how he cc cast out the spirits 
with his word," we find that he spoke in a manner 
which was, at least, perfectly consistent with the 
opinion that those persons w ho were supposed to 
be under demoniacal influence, were really so 
influenced ; and also that the conduct of these 
persons themselves appears from several circum- 
stances to corroborate the same opinion 0 . And 
when our Lord reasons with the Pharisees on 
this very subject in the text and context, he not 
only argues with them on their own principles, 
but he never hints that their notions were erro- 
neous ; and both on that occasion, and also when 
the seventy returned, expressing their c{ joy that 
even the demons were subject to them through 
his name," the conclusions, and assurances which 
he brings forward, so far from discountenancing 



b Matt. x. 1, 8 ; xvii. 21. Mark iii. 15 ; xvi. 17. Luke ix. 1 : 
x. 17 — 20 ; xiii. 32. 

c Matt. viil. 28—32. Mark i. 24, 25 ; iii. 11, 12. Luke iv. 
31—41 : viii. 28 — 32. 



232 



Lecture X. 



the notion of demoniacal possession, appear to 
justify the opinion that the admission of its reality 
is of no small importance in order to a right ap- 
prehension of the object both of his own mission, 
and of that of the Apostles \ — Those who are 
familiar with the contents of the Gospels will have 
already called to mind the several passages to 
which we have alluded, and the citation of which 
would have made it necessary to dwell much 
longer on this topic. 

Those Christian divines who undertake to 
shew that "there never was a real demoniac in the 
world/' are of course prepared to explain the re- 
markable phraseology employed by our Lord and 
the Evangelists. They observe that it was the 
popular language on this subject, and that our Lord 
adopted it, not with a view of countenancing the 
notion in which such expressions originated, but 
because the refutation of such errors in philosophy 
and nosology was not one of the objects of his 
mission, and because it was not either necessary 
or expedient to run counter to the prevailing 
opinion. Yet since they themselves strenuously 
contend that this opinion has been the occasion 
of much fraud and superstition, and that it is little 
better than a relic of Paganism, we might have 



a Matt. xii. 25 — 29- Mark iii. 23—27. Luke x. 17 — 24 ; 
xi. 17—26. 



Lecture X. 



233 



supposed it expedient that our Lord should not 
so apparently give countenance to it, even if it 
were not, in other respects, more than a question 
of philosophy. If the received opinion be correct, 
it has an intimate connexion with the important 
question relative to the power, designs, and agency 
of our great spiritual " adversary, the Devil." 
And if it be true that in our Christian warfare 
tc we do not wrestle against flesh and blood only, 
but against powers, against the rulers of the 
darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked- 
ness in high places ;■' then it behoves us not only 
to ce take unto ourselves the whole armour of God, 
that we may be able to stand against the wiles of 
the devil/' but also to <c make ourselves acquainted 
with his devices/' and fully to inform ourselves 
how cc the Son of God was manifested to destroy 
the works of the devil." 

We are told indeed that the possessions in the 
Gospels, are not, with the sanction of the original, 
to be termed diabolical, but demoniacal, and that 
wherever the plural word "devils" occurs in 
Scripture, it is in the original " demons." We 
allow the truth of this remark. But still the 
question recurs, whether, or not, the scriptural 
description of possessing demons supports the 
received opinion. Much learning has been em- 
ployed to shew, that by the word demon is 
meant ct the spirit of a dead mortal," — that such 



234 



Lecture X. 



only were worshipped as deities by the heathen 
world, — that such is the use of the word in Scrip- 
ture, — and that, since the popular opinion referred 
possession to such agents, we are to understand 
the possessing demons in the Gospel in the same 
sense, and not as at all alluding to cc the devil and 
his angels/' This is not the place to enter upon 
such an inquiry as this question requires*. Suffice 
it then to remark, that it is not true that even the 
heathen writers meant by this term only the 
spirits of dead men ; and the sense in which it is 
used in the Gospels with respect to possessions, 
will best be determined from the Scriptures them- 
selves. 

It is scarcely necessary to remind you that the 
arch-apostate, the seducer of our first parents, is 
called in Scripture by various titles, descriptive of 
his character, influence, and operations. He is 
called the wicked one, the tempter, Satan, or 
the adversary, the prince of this world, the devil \ 



a This, and most of the other questions connected with this 
subject, were treated very largely, and the arguments on both sides 
very fully detailed, in the celebrated controversy between Farmer 
and Worthington. A luminous and masterly treatise was written 
at the time by John Fell, entitled, " An Inquiry into the Heathen 
and Scripture doctrine of Demons ; in which the hypotheses of 
the Rev. Mr. Farmer, and others, on this subject, are particularly 
considered." 

b 1 John iii. 12. v. 18. Matt. iv. 3. 1 Thess. iii. 5. Job ii. 6'. 
1 Pet. v. 8. 2 Cor. iv. 4. &c. 



Lecture X. 



Now if we find some of these titles used by our 
Lord on other occasions, when not speaking of 
the subject of demoniacal possession, we can 
scarcely be at a loss to understand of what descrip- 
tion of beings he is then speaking. For instance, 
he three times mentions " the prince of this 
worldV He also speaks of iC the devil and his 
angels d f of ec the devil as being a murderer and 
liar from the beginning 6 and of ff Satan as de- 
siring to sift St. Peter as wheat { ." And the Evan- 
gelists ascribe the apostacy of J udas by the phrase 
that " Satan entered into him g ." Now if we find 
that the same terms are connected with the sub- 
ject of demoniacal possession, it will afford no 
slight presumption that they are in fact to be 
referred to the same agents. What inference, 
then, is suggested by the following passage in the 
tenth chapter of St. Luke ? cc The seventy returned 
again with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons 
are subject to us through thy name. And he said 
unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from 
heaven. Behold, I give you power to tread on 
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of 
the enemy Xx ; and nothing shall by any means hurt 
you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that 



c Johnxii. 31. xiv. 30. xvi. 11. 
e John viii. 44. 

g Luke xxii, 3. John xiii. 2, 27. 



d Matt. xxv. 41. 
f Luke xxii. 3 1 . 
h See Matt. xiii. 39- 



236 Lecture X. 

the spirits are subject unto you ; but rather rejoice 
because your names are written in heaven 3 /' 
Hear also the following words of St. Peter, re- 
corded in the Acts of the Apostles, where the 
word, upon which the antidemoniac system is 
founded, is not employed. iC God anointed Jesus 
with the Holy Ghost and with power ; who went 
about doing good, and healing all that were op- 
pressed of the devil ; for God was with himV 
Again, when our Lord himself speaks of the 
woman who is described by St. Luke, as having 
had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, he says, 
that " Satan had bound her c ." We may remem- 
ber also, that it was Satan who was permitted to 
afflict Job with his sore diseases' 5 ; and that the 
infliction of bodily disorders for the correction of 
the incestuous offender at Corinth, was termed by 
the Apostle, " the delivery of such an one unto 
Satan V — It is sufficiently evident from the pas- 
sages just cited, in whatever manner they be 
explained, that the limited power, which according 
to Scripture, is permitted in some cases over the 
bodies of mankind, is ascribed to no other than 
" that same old serpent, called the Devil and 
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world/' " who 
beguiled Eve by his subtilty/' and by whose 



a Luke 17—20. b Acts x. 38. c Luke xiii. l6. 
d Job i. e 1 Cor. v. 5. 



Lecture X. 



237 



influence, as the tempter, our minds may also be 
i( corrupted from the simplicity which is in Christ." 

But the discourse from whence our text is 
taken,, affords perhaps the most decisive evidence 
of the propriety with which we may refer de- 
moniacal possessions to the same fallen being. 
The Pharisees gave no indication that they 
doubted the reality either of the possession, or of 
its removal. They were chagrined at the inference 
which the multitude were disposed to draw from 
it, and they endeavoured to suggest to them 
another. <c The multitudes marvelled, saying, It 
was never so seen in Israel. Is not this the Son 
of David ? But when the Pharisees heard it, 
they said. This fellow doth not cast out demons, 
but by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons V 
The god of the neighbouring nation of the Phi- 
listines was called by this or a similar name, and 
thence probably they borrowed it. But the ques- 
tion to be determined is, whom they intended to 
designate by it, and what was the nature of the 
imputation cast upon our Lord. His answer would 
not have been pertinent, unless it met them on 
their own ground, and was conformable to their 
own ideas. The Evangelist, prefacing the mention 
of our Lord's answer by a significant declaration, 
states that " he, knowing their thoughts, said 



b Matt. ix. 33, 34. 



238 



Lecture X. 



unto them, — If Satan be divided against himself, 
how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say, 
that I cast out demons through Beelzebub." If 
then the casting out demons through Beelzebub, 
be in fact synonymous with casting them out 
through Satan, and if that imply the division of 
Satan against himself, it must necessarily follow 
that those who were possessed with demons, were, 
in the opinion of our Lord, possessed with Satan 
or his associates. 

It was observed above, that we cannot doubt 
the reality of the disorders, from which those 
termed " Demoniacs" were delivered, whatever 
opinion be adopted respecting their nature. We 
have also endeavoured to ascertain the notion 
which both our Lord and the Evangelists convey 
to us respecting the real origin of these pos- 
sessions. Both to the believer and to the un- 
believer such information is needful, in order to 
form a correct judgment respecting this class of 
our Lord's miracles, and what the sacred writers 
teach us concerning them. But we must advance 
still further, and point out some of those circum- 
stances, which evidence the reality of these as 
demoniacal possessions ; though upon this, and 
every other, department of this extended subject, 
we must observe that brevity which our limits 
require, though the difficulty and importance of 
the subject would seem scarcely to allow it. 



Lecture X. 



239 



You have doubtless remarked, that the demo- 
niacs manifested a very correct apprehension of 
the character and office of Jesus ; and that he, 
therefore, ce charged the demons to hold their 
peace, and to come out;" and he (C suffered them 
not to speak, because they knew that he was 
Christ 1 /' They accosted him as cc the Holy One of 
God, the Son of God, the Son of God most high, 
the Christ 5 ." These professions, and their fear of 
him, as ee coming to torment them before the 
time/' though remarkable, are, notwithstanding, 
explicable upon supposition that these individuals 
were really under the influence of wicked spiritual 
beings. But, if these declarations were only the 
ravings of ordinary madness, we are at a loss to 
conceive how the subjects of it had derived, at 
that time, the distinct knowledge of the character 
of Jesus, upon which so positive a testimony must 
have been grounded. They made it, in several 
instances, at an early period of his ministry ; but 
both then, and afterwards, the popular opinions 
respecting Jesus were not so decided either as to 
what was the character of Jesus, or as to the 
attributes which might be ascribed to him. The 
supposition, therefore, that these were merely 
insane persons, who eagerly embraced from 



a Mark i. 25—34. Luke iv. 41. 

b Matt. viii. 29- Marki. 24; iii. 11. Lukeiv. 34, 41 , viii. 28. 



240 Lecture X. 

hearsay, and pertinaciously retained, an opinion 
that Jesus was the Christ, is insufficient to ex- 
plain their full testimony respecting him. It is 
much more probable that we may recognize herein 
an exemplification of the remark which St. James 
has applied to the existence and unity of God ; 
ff Even the demons believe, and tremble. In one 
instance, indeed, the proposed hypothesis, even if 
admitted, is entirely inapplicable. For one of these 
attestations was given by the demoniac mentioned 
by St. Luke; whose disorder the anti-demonists 
themselves rank rather under the head of epilepsy, 
than of insanity. And in narrating the cure of 
that sufferer, the Evangelist has also used an ex- 
pression, which is scarcely consistent with the 
notion, that his disorder was either epilepsy, or 
madness, of any ordinary character ; though it is 
perfectly intelligible to those who admit the rea- 
lity of possession. ei When the demon had thrown 
him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt 
him not 7 ". 3 ' 

But the migration of the demons, who had 
possessed the two Gadarenes, into the neighbour- 
ing herd of swine, and the catastrophe which 
followed, are circumstances, which most decisively 
establish the supernatural character of these 
afflictions, and which, perhaps, were designed for 



» Lukeiv. 33—35. 



Lecture; X. 



241 



that purpose. The opinion that this numerous herd 
was driven into the sea by the two demoniacs, is 
inconsistent with the narrative of the Evangelists. 
Others, who deny that the two demoniacs were 
really such, ascribe the madness of the swine 
to the immediate infliction of God. For what 
end it does not sufficiently appear. If we adhere 
to the statement of the Evangelists, it appears 
that Jesus permitted the demons, at their own 
public request, to go into the swine ; and as the 
swine could not be confederates in any fraud, the 
madness which ensued, and its consequence, was 
a full and visible proof of the reality of that 
demoniacal influence, from which the two men, 
who, from that time, remained in their right mind, 
had been delivered b . 

It now only remains that we notice the rea- 
soning by which our Lord proved to the Pharisees, 
that it was "by the finger of God that he cast 
out demons ?' and also the inference, which he 
drew from thence, that therefore "the kingdom 
of God was come upon them/' 

Either Jesus east out demons by his own un- 
aided powers, or by compact with the prince of 
demons, or by the finger of God. The first 

b Mark v. 1—20. Luke yiii. 26—39. Not only the circum- 
stance noticed above, which is peculiar to this instance of possession, 
but almost every other very strongly corroborates the opinion that 
it was a case of real possession. 

Q 



f 

242 Lecture X. 



supposition the Pharisees ventured not to advance. 
The only pretext which they could find for a denial 
of the last position, was to contend for the second, 
that <c by the prince of the demons he cast out 
demons." Jesus refuted that, and thereby esta- 
blished the true and only remaining supposition. 
And, in this refutation., he made a tacit appeal 
to the purity, and excellence of the doctrine, in 
recommendation of which he wrought his mira- 
cles. If it was impossible to suppose that an 
apostate, wicked, and seducing spirit would lend 
his aid to establish such a doctrine, then was their 
insinuation groundless. And, if that insinuation 
had any force, it could still only prove that Satan 
was himself, whether wittingly, or unwittingly, 
subverting his own power and kingdom ; so that 
still the inference would remain, that his power 
was falling, and the kingdom of God about to be 
established. For, answered our Lord, "Every 
kingdom divided against itself is brought to deso- 
lation ; and every city or house divided against 
itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, 
he is divided against himself; how then shall his 
kingdom stand*?" 

Our Lord next subjoins an argument, the 
precise bearing of which we cannot, perhaps, ac- 
curately determine • though in any sense in which 
we take it, it is certainly conclusive against the 



a Matt. xii. 25, 26. 



Lecture X. 



243 



Pharisees. ff If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, 
by whom do your children cast them out ? there- 
fore shall they be your judges. " If we suppose 
our Lord to refer to the miracles of the ancient 
prophets, we may suppose that he wished them to 
consider the consequences of their objection ; 
since there was no circumstance attending' his own 
miracles, which would not equally apply to those 
of the prophets, whom they believed to be divinely 
assisted. His were even more numerous, signal, 
and undeniable miracles. But, more probably, 
Jesus refers to the dispossessions, whether real 
or pretended ones of the Jewish exorcists ; some 
of whom, as we learn both from the Gospels, and 
from the Acts of the Apostles, attempted to cast out 
demons in the name of Jesus b . But at any rate, 
the same slander would apply to them as well as 
to himself; for no reason appeared why their 
dispossessions should not be ascribed to satanic 
assistance, if they were correct in so ascribing his. 
His argument does not necessarily grant that any 
such miracles were really the consequence of their 
attempts ; and indeed the surprise of the people 
at these instances of the power of Jesus, shews 
that they were as unprecedented, as they were 
signal and astonishing ; for they openly avowed, 
that "it was never so seen in Israel." But 



b Mark ix. 38. Acts ix. 14. 
Q 2 



244 Lecture X, 



waving such a comparison, if they persevered in 
their cavil, their own children would accuse them 
of calumniating their power as exorcists, and, 
if appealed to as umpires in the dispute, would 
condemn them, and acquit him. The only tena- 
ble supposition was, that he c{ cast out demons 
by the finger of God/' or, as St. Matthew ex- 
presses it, "by the Spirit of God ;" by that divine 
influence and power, with which he " was anointed 
to heal all that were brought into subjection by 
the devil," and by which he <e proclaimed deliver- 
ance to the captive, and set at liberty them that 
were bruised/' 

ff But," adds our Lord, ff if I with the finger 
of God cast out demons, no doubt the kingdom 
of God is come upon you." Let it be here re- 
marked, that he does not say, " No doubt I am 
sent of God," nor yet, ff No doubt I am he that 
should come He speaks not so much of the 
Messiah's personal office and character, as of the 
dispensation which he was to introduce. Both 
John and Jesus began their ministry with the 
proclamation, " The kingdom of heaven is at 
hand ;" and both the twelve, and also the seventy, 
disciples were sent out by Jesus, to deliver the 
same annunciation.. And when their message 
was rejected by the inhabitants of a city, they 
were commissioned to " shake off the dust of their 
feet as a testimony against them," and to declare, 



Lecture X. 



245 



- c Notwithstanding- be ye sure of this, that the 
kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." Now we 
find it expressly mentioned that the twelve were, 
in the first instance, empowered to "cast out 
demons and the seventy, when they returned, 
joyfully declared to their Master, u Lord, even 
the demons are subject to us through thy name." 
And Jesus took occasion from the remark of the 
seventy to anticipate the downfal of Satan, and 
the future triumphs of his own servants. " He 
said unto them, I beheld Satan, as lightning, fall 
from heaven ! Behold, I give unto you power to 
tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the 
power of the enemy ; and nothing shall by any 
means hurt you." And these several considera- 
tions, taken in connexion with our text, readily 
suggest to us, that this particular miracle was 
peculiarly appropriate as an evidence of the in- 
troduction of the kingdom of God. Now I know 
not how far this remark of our Lord may of itself 
justify us in asserting, that the Jews expected 
that the Messiah, who of course was to introduce 
and set up the kingdom of God, would cast out 
demons. For this is perhaps not definitely and 
expressly predicted in the prophets. But still as 
even the apocryphal book of Wisdom states that 
"through envy of the devil sin entered into the 
world," and as the history of the fall could not but 
be understood of the seduction of some spiritual 



246 



Lecture X. 



but wicked being; and as also the Jews them- 
selves stated in commenting upon the first promise 
that "a remedy would be applied to the heel of 
the woman's seed in the days of king Messiah/' 
we may conclude that the persons, to whom our 
Lord addressed the words of the text, had before 
them such data as would enable them to under- 
stand the tendency, and to appreciate the cogency,, 
of our Lord's argument. For even the multitudes 
felt themselves authorized, after witnessing his 
cure of a demoniac, to exclaim, ec Is not this the 
Son of David a V* Nor is it easy to conceive how 
such an inference was suggested to their minds, 
except by such considerations as we have noticedo 
Yet the objection, which the Pharisees circulated 
in order to check the disposition to adopt that 
opinion, was not at all directed against the in- 
sufficiency of the premises, if admitted, to establish 
that conclusion. They knew that, if Jesus did 
"cast out demons by the finger of God/' they 
could not disprove his claim to be the Son of 
David, and the heir of his everlasting kingdom. 
They ventured, therefore, to deny that these 
miracles were wrought by divine assistance ; but 
their' s was a mere assertion, not supported by any 
semblance of argument ; and our Lord, as we 
have seen, unanswerably refuted it, by shewing 
its manifold absurdity. 



Matt. xii. 23. 



Lecture X. 



247 



In the words following the text, our Lord 
more fully explained his argument, by means of 
a suitable, though familiar, illustration. He had 
refuted the notionUhat Satan had been his con- 
federate. On the contrary, there was a trial of 
strength between them ; and those, who watched 
the progress of the conflict, would see, that the 
power of Satan was on the decline, in spite of all 
his efforts, and in consequence of the onset of 
one superior in might. " If I, said our Lord, by 
the finger of God, cast out demons, no doubt the 
kingdom of God is come upon you. — Or else how 
can one enter into a strong man's house, and 
spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong 
man ? and then he will spoil his house. When 
a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods 
are in peace ; but when a stronger than he shall 
come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh 
from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and 
divideth his spoil V 

Our Lord subjoined, on this occasion, the 
solemn caution respecting the blasphemy of the 
Holy Spirit, and a statement of its unpardonable 
criminality. That subject will come under our 
notice in the last department of our Lectures. At 
present we shall only request your attention to the 
words which immediately follow those last cited ; 



b Matt. xii. 29- Luke xi. 21, 22. Comp. Isai. xlix. 24—26, 



248 



Lecture X. 



and which may be considered as the application 
and improvement of all that we have been re- 
viewing. 

(C He that is not with me, is against me, and 
he, that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad*." 
If there be such parties, engaged in such a war- 
fare;— if there be a "prince of this world/* a 
"spirit that worketh in the children of disobe- 
dience and also cc a king, whom the God of 
heaven and earth would place upon his holy hill 
of Zion/' and who dwells and reigns in the hearts 
of those, who are " turned from the power of 
Satan unto God — and if he, who " cometh in 
the name of the Lord to receive the kingdom of 
his father David," be " the stronger one/' as 
well as the more holy ; then, surely, it cannot 
be a matter of indifference, whether we rank 
ourselves under the standard of Satan, or of 
Christ. The Captain of our salvation, who went 
forth conquering and to conquer, and who calls 
upon all who value their life 5 to follow him, hath 
himself distinctly declared, and divine and un- 
deniable is his authority, that in this warfare there 
can be no neutrality. He who takes part with the 
Devil and his angels, will undoubtedly share in 
their future overthrow and punishment. But 
whosoever also does not actually espouse the 



a Matt. xii. 30. 



Lecture X. 



249 



cause of Christ, and cc fight manfully under his 
banner/' will in this life be really promoting the 
interests of Satan's kingdom, and at the decisive 
day will be dealt with as having sided with him. 
He will thus draw down upon himself the penal- 
ties, to which Jesus alluded when he said, cc As 
for those mine enemies, that would not that I 
should reign over them, bring them hither, and 
slay them before me." 

That such is the meaning of these words of 
our Lord, is evident from the connexion in which 
they stand. On another occasion, and in another 
connexion, he delivered a statement, which, at first 
sight, appears of a contrary tendency. Yet that 
also is an instructive declaration ; and before we 
conclude, we shall cite it in his own words. But 
the circumstances, under which it was spoken, are 
so necessary to understand it aright, so striking 
in themselves, and so illustrative of the subject of 
this Lecture, that we cannot refrain from briefly 
adverting to them. 

We have seen that our Lord taught his hearers 
to consider the miracles, which he wrought on the 
demoniacs, as indications of the approaching esta- 
blishment of the kingdom of God. The scene 
which was exhibited to the three favoured disci- 
ples, on the mount of transfiguration, was doubtless 
a signal exhibition of the glory of him, who had 
come to be "a Prince and a Saviour." There 



250 



Lecture X. 



was much in that transaction which tended to 
shew the spiritual nature of his kingdom. But the 
splendour of it seems to have raised to the utmost 
the expectations of the disciples; nor were they 
wrong* in supposing, that he was then very shortly 
about to enter on his glory. Yet they could not 
comprehend what was then told them, of 6C the 
decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." 
On descending from the mountain, retaining, to 
the amazement of the multitude, a portion of the 
glory in which he had been arrayed, he found the 
Scribes disputing with his disciples, who had been 
unable to cure a demoniac, and probably, there- 
fore, triumphing over them because of the apparent 
failure of the power of Jesus a . Jesus, lamenting 
the infidelity and perverseness of that generation, 
by^ a word effected the cure. He also gently 
reproved his disciples, either because they had 
attempted the cure prematurely, and without di- 
vine suggestion, or because in attempting it, they 
had distrusted the readiness of God to co-operate 
in order to its success ; yet, at the same time,, he 
spoke of the future efficacy of that miraculous 
faith, which they would afterwards so signally 
exercise. But both they and the multitudes were 
deeply impressed by the miracle. " They were 
all amazed at the mighty power of God." Pro- 



a See Matt. xvii. Mark ix. Luke ix. 



Lecture X. 



251 



bably even the people in general were more than 
ever disposed to cc think that the kingdom of God 
should immediately appear." And the scene on 
the mountain on the preceding* day had very much 
strengthened such expectations in the minds of 
some of his disciples. But he took occasion to 
rectify their apprehensions with regard to the 
future transactions and real nature of that king- 
dom of God, the approaching establishment of 
yvhich had again been evidenced by the recent 
miracle. i{ While they wondered every one at all 
things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, 
Let these sayings sink down into your ears ; for 
the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands 
of men." They understood him not, and they 
feared to ask an explanation. Yet so fully oc- 
cupied were their minds with anticipations re- 
specting <e the dominion, and glory, and kingdom, 
which were to be given to the Son of man," that 
they ci debated among themselves which of them 
should be the greatest" in those days of approach- 
ing exaltation. When Jesus inculcated humility, 
as the qualification of those who would either be 
great in the kingdom of heaven, or could even 
enter therein, one of those disciples, who had 
desired that he and his brother should cc sit on 
his right hand and on his left in his king- 
dom," made a remarkable protestation of his zeal 
in his Master's cause. iC Master, said he, we saw 



252 



Lecture X. 



one casting out devils in thy name ; and we 
forbad him, because he followeth not with us." 
This drew from our Lord many remarks, both 
immediately in answer to the statement of John, 
and also of general concern. We have time only 
to notice that, which is more immediately connected 
with our present subject, and which we proposed 
to compare with the observation that occurs in 
the discourse from whence our text is taken. 
<c Jesus said, Forbid him not ; for there is no 
man which shall do a miracle in my name, that 
can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not 
against us is on our part. For whosoever shall 
give you a cup of water to drink in my name, 
because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto 
you, He shall not lose his reward." 

Our Lord's remarks, on this occasion also, are 
sufficiently explained by the circumstances to 
which they refer. When he observed, that cc who- 
soever was not with him was against him/' he 
was addressing those, who not only did not actually 
join the company of his constant followers, who 
not only had need that he should help their im- 
perfect belief, but who actually disbelieved, and 
maliciously cavilled against that which was suffi- 
cient for their conviction. They persevered in 
blaspheming the Son of man ; and he judged it 
necessary to caution them respecting the danger 
of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. But he, 



Lecture X. 



253 



whom John had ventured to forbid, had even such 
a favourable opinion of Jesus, as openly to shew 
a respect for him, by " casting out demons in his 
name ;■' and, for ought John knew, might be 
a decided believer. But such a one would at least 
not be disposed, even from inconsiderateness, 
much less in malice, to speak evil of the Son of 
man; but rather would he be inclined to believe 
that <c the kingdom of God had come," and that 
Jesus was the Christ. And if every kindness 
done even to themselves, in the name of their 
Master, and because they were Christ's, would not 
lose its reward, it was both unnecessary, and inex- 
pedient, to forbid such a one to shew his confi- 
dence in the power, and his respect for the 
character of their Master, even though he did not 
follow him with them. It would therefore become 
them to regulate their own behaviour to others by 
the maxim, that u he is on their part, who is not 
against them and to leave it to every one's con- 
science to consider for himself that individual 
responsibility which was declared in the words,, 
cc He that is not with me, is against me ; and he 
that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad." 

" To our own Master we stand, or fall." From 
his omniscience neither our external conduct, nor 
our secret principles, can be concealed. A day will 
come cc when God will make up his jewels, and 
spare them that have feared him, and that have 



254 



Lecture X. 



thought on his name ; when we shall discern be- 
tween the righteous and the wicked, between him 
that serveth God, and him that serveth him not." 
That Jesus, whose authority we have been main- 
taining, the object of whose kingdom we have 
been explaining by his own words and works, and 
who will hereafter appear as our Judge, has himself 
declared, " Many will say to me in that day,, Lord, 
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and 
in thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy 
name done many wonderful works? And then 
will I profess unto them, I never knew you ; depart 
from me, ye that work iniquity." Now if even 
a participation of the miraculous powers and gifts 
of the primitive ages was not, of itself, a decisive 
proof that men were truly Christ's, so as to be 
<c confessed by him when he shall come in the 
glory of his Father/' what jealousy should we, of 
these latter days, exercise over ourselves ! We 
have seen that he came to establish the kingdom 
of God upon the ruins of that of Satan. We have 
seen that in this warfare none can be neuter. We 
know that the kingdom of God is cc righteousness, 
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ;" and that those 
" are of their father the devil, who do the lusts of 
their father." If then you would rightly judge of 
your own situation in this matter ; if you desire to 
ascertain whether you have been " delivered from 
the power of darkness, and translated into the 



Lecture X. 



255 



kingdom of God's dear Son," you perceive the 
sufficient, and the only, test which you are to 
apply. It is also fully explained in the words of 
the beloved Apostle. " Little children, let no man 
deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is 
righteous, even as he is righteous. He that com- 
mitteth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth 
from the beginning. For this purpose was the 
Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the 
works of the devil. — In this the children of God 
are manifest, and the children of the devil ; who- 
soever doeth not righteousness is not of God, 
neither he that loveth not his brother*." 

But at the same time that our subject calls 
upon us to warn and to direct you, it also enables 
us to console and to encourage you. The kingdom 
of God has been established, and it will never be 
destroyed. But it was established by the Son of 
man, who came cc not to destroy men's lives, but 
to save them." He " gave his own life a ransom 
for many," " that through death he might destroy 
him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, 
and deliver them, who, through fear of death, are 
all their lifetime subject to bondage." We may, 
therefore, be assured, that God hath made us 
" more than conquerors, through him that loved 
us ;" that Jesus has " spoiled principalities and 



* 1 John iii. 7—10. 



256 



Lecture X, 



powers, triumphing over them in his cross and 
that <c Satan shall be bruised under our feet 
shortly." 

It is, indeed, through the revelation of the 
Gospel, that the temptations, the subtilty, and the 
devices of the prince of darkness have been so 
distinctly made known to us. By the attack which 
he made on our Saviour at the commencement of 
his ministry, and by the exhibition, during our 
Lord's ministry, we may almost say, of his visible 
and sensible influence over the bodies and souls of 
men, we have been fully assured of his ex- 
istence, and power, and malignity. Yet are we 
not left in despair. For he, who has given us the 
opportunity to learn these things, has also given 
us assurance of his own superiority ; has conquered 
in our behalf ; has assured us that " greater is he 
that is in us, than he that is in the world has 
declared to us the Father, and poured out the gifts 
of the Spirit ; and has thus furnished us with that 
divine panoply, clad in which we may "withstand 
in every evil day, and quench all the fiery darts 
of the wicked one." 



LECTURE XI. 



our lord's appeal to 
father^ by which he 
well as the worker, 



THE WITNESS OF THE 
WAS THE SUBJECT, AS 
OF MIRACLES. 



St. John V. 37, 38. 

And the Father himself zchich hath sent me, hath borne 
witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any 
time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word 
abiding in you ; for whom he hath sent, him ye believe 
not. 

This passage is certainly involved in considerable 
difficulty. If we refer to the original itself, we 
find that although, in some respects, its purport 
might be more distinctly expressed, it requires 
the assistance of the Commentator, rather than 
the amendments of the Translator. For the diffi- 
culty principally consists, not in the ambiguity of 
particular words, but in that apparent want of 
connexion between the different clauses, which 
has probably been occasioned by the conciseness 
of the passage. As far, however, as these words 
of our Lord will be employed in suggesting topics 

R 



258 



Lecture XL 



for our present consideration, we shall proceed on 
the most evident and certain grounds. Nor am 
I without a hope, that we shall be able to illustrate 
the scope of the whole passage, by comparing the 
first clause of it with those that precede and 
follow it. For such a comparison shews, that we 
cannot, as many have done, identify its subject 
with that which is treated either in the former, or 
in the subsequent verses ; since by such a suppo- 
sition we both neglect the most obvious meaning 
of the passage, and impair the order and com- 
pleteness of this very methodical discourse of our 
Lord. 

" The same icorks, that I do/' argued our 
Lord, cc bear witness of me, that the Father hath 
gent me." He then adds, cc And the Father, 
which hath sent me, himself hath borne witness 
of me." The first of these appeals we have con- 
sidered in a former Lecture; the latter is the 
subject of our present Lecture. And I have 
retained the exact order of the words of the ori- 
ginal in reciting the latter clause ; because it thus 
very obviously appears, that it is not subjoined 
merely as a continuation and enlargement of the 
former, but as an addition and contrast to it. Our 
Lord had contended, that the works, which the 
Father enabled him to perform, proved that he had 
been sent by the Father. He then assumes the 
truth of that inference, and proceeds to speak of 



Lecture XI. 



259 



the Father, as te the Father which had sent him/' 
And he stated, still further, that the Father, as 
having sent him, had even given a personal, 
direct, and express declaration respecting him. 
This, therefore, must be something distinct from 
the miracles which our Lord himself wrought. — 
Some having observed this, and also the mention 
in the latter part of the text, of the word of the 
Father, have referred this to the written word of 
God in the law and the prophets. But to adopt 
this opinion, would identify the subject of this 
passage with that of the following verses, in which 
our Lord makes a distinct appeal to the Scriptures, 
or written word of God. But here he evidently 
speaks of a personal testimony ; nor can we have 
much hesitation in concluding that he referred 
therein to that personal and audible testimony, 
which was borne to him by a voice from heaven, 
when, having been baptized by John, he came out 
of the waters of Jordan. And this reference 
was, if not on this occasion necessary, yet very ap- 
propriate and convincing. For in the opening of 
his discourse, as we have already seen, he spoke of 
God, as "his own proper Father;" of himself, as 
"the Son whom the Father loveth, and who sought 
the will of the Father which had sent him." Now 
when that " Father which had sent him, himself 
bore witness of him/' on the occasion which we 

r2 



260 



Lecture XI. 



have specified, he declared, " This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased*." 

The same heavenly voice, which witnessed to 
Jesus at his baptism, also witnessed, and in nearly 
the same words, at his transfiguration. — I mention 
this now, in order to remark, that if we require 
any further proof that we have been giving 
a correct representation of our Lord's meaning, 
we may find it in a well-known passage of St. 
Peter. For that Apostle first argues from the 
testimony given to Jesus by the voice from heaven 
at his transfiguration, and then from the testi- 
mony of prophecy ; exactly in the same manner 
in which our Lord subjoins an appeal to prophecy 
to his notice of the similar testimony given by the 
Father at his baptism. cc We have not," says 
the Apostle, " followed cunningly-devised fables, 
when we made known unto you the power and 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye- 
witnesses of his majesty. For he received from 
God the Father honour and glory, when there 
came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, 
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased. And this voice which came from heaven 
we heard, when we were with him in the holy 
mount. We have also a more sure word of 
prophecy ; whereunto ye do well that ye take 



a Matt. iii.. 17. 



Lecture XI. 



261 



heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark 
place b ." And the Apostle then enlarges upon the 
right principle of the interpretation of prophecy, 
and its divine original. 

By thus considering, singly, the first clause of 
our text, and also by connecting it with the pre- 
ceding words, we have, I think, ascertained its true 
purport. The remaining clauses will strengthen 
us in the same opinion, and will present them- 
selves for consideration in a subsequent part of 
this Lecture. 

It will be expedient, therefore, now to direct 
our attention to the remarkable incident specially 
referred to, and to the two other occasions on 
which the Father, in the same way, bore witness 
to Jesus. We may, I think, even extend our 
view still further. For there were several other 
occasions, on which Jesus was exhibited to us as 
the subject of miracles, as well as the worker of 
them ; not, indeed, receiving a divine attestation 
by means of the audible voice of the Father from 
heaven, as in the three instances just specified; 
yet in a manner, which is decidedly distinguishable 
from his own miracles, and which, equally with the 
former instances, bespeaks the interposition and 
approbation of the Father. Each of these facts 
tends to establish the justice of the claim which 



b 2 Pet. i. 16—19. 



262 Lecture XI. 

Jesus advanced to the dignity and knowledge, the 
power and authority, of the Son of God. And 
when all are considered in connexion, they furnish 
a distinct and important body of evidence. 

As the instance, specially referred to in the 
text, occurred at the commencement of our Lord's 
public ministry, so the first occurrence of a simi- 
lar character accompanied his first introduction 
into the world. — The miraculous conception of 
our Lord in the womb of a virgin, is of the 
highest importance, whether we consider it with 
reference to the doctrines of the Gospel, or to its 
evidences. If we consider it with reference to 
the divinity of our Lord, we shall find that it is no 
easy task to reconcile it with any other suppo- 
sition, than that he, who was thus born of a pure 
virgin by an unprecedented and supernatural 
generation, was our Emmanuel, " God with us 
and that it was the divine, pre-existent, and eter- 
nal Word, who ''was thus made flesh." And we 
shall therefore confess the propriety and evidence 
with which the Angel, after having announced to 
the Virgin the approaching overshadowing of the 
power of the Highest, added these words, " There- 
fore also that holy thing, which shall be born of 
thee, shall be called (or rather, shall be acknow- 
ledged to be) the Son of God V 



a Luke i. 35. — K\t]6tj(T€Tat v/o? Oeov. 



Lecture XI. 



263 



It will appear, in the sequel of this Lec- 
ture, that Jesus, by the three declarations from 
heaven, received a divine attestation of his inves- 
titure with the three offices of priest, prophet, and 
king*. And if the fact of his miraculous con- 
ception, and the attendant circumstances of his 
birth, be established upon sufficient evidence, we 
are thereby also, as we shall immediately shew, 
assured of a previous divine interposition. These 
will likewise evince, by the nature of the facts 
themselves, by the circumstances connected with 
them, and by the angelic declarations which then 
explained their design, that Jesus was both 
qualified to undertake those offices on our behalf, 
and that he was actually invested with them. 

We find in the evangelical records, an ample 
and perspicuous detail of these incidents, resting 
upon the same authority as the rest of the narra- 
tive. Two Evangelists, indeed, have not touched 
upon the subject of the birth of Jesus ; but 
St. Matthew and St. Luke, who have done so, both 
concur in the same general statement, though 
St. Luke specifies some incidents which are 
omitted by St. Matthew, and omits others which 
the latter has related 15 . — But we are told by the 
Unitarian, for reasons as well known to us as to 
himself, that we are not to consider the two intro- 



b Matt. i. and ii. Luke i. and ii. 



264 



Lecture XI. 



ductory chapters of St. Matthew and St. Luke, as 
either genuine, or authentic. The writings, in 
which that opinion is espoused, you can compare 
at your leisure with the full and satisfactory an- 
swers which they have called forth. But if it 
occur to you, as it has done more than once to 
myself, to hear such opinions broached in ordinary 
conversation, you may answer, that such a muti- 
lation is sanctioned by no one single manuscript 
or version ; that the early reception of these parts 
of the Gospel is proved by the sentiments of the 
early Christian writers, and by their actual cita- 
tions of them ; and that the only countenance for 
such a curtailment of the Gospels is derived from 
the extravagant procedure of two heretical sects, 
who, not by the sanction of any rules of criticism, 
or historical testimony, but in consequence of their 
pre-conceived heretical opinions, rejected these 
chapters, and with them the larger portion both of 
the Old and New Testaments. But admitting, 
as by every rule of just criticism we are bound to 
do, the genuineness and credibility of these chap- 
ters, an examination and comparison of the events 
recorded in them, will shew them to be such, so nu- 
merous, and so connected with each other, that the 
supposition of imposture and concert, and indeed 
of any other principle, than that they happened 
by the wonderful providence, and signal interpo- 
sition of God, is both untenable and unreasonable. 



Lecture XI. 



265 



That the Virgin could have no doubt, either 
of the visit of the Angel, or of her conception 
according to his annunciation, if they really took 
place, it were absurd to suppose. If these cir- 
cumstances were fictitious, they were certainly 
only a small portion of an imposture, which had 
many and strange ramifications. Then were Za- 
charias, and Elizabeth, and Joseph, and the Shep- 
herds, and the Magi, and Simeon, and Anna, all 
concerned in it ; and Herod and the Sanhedrim 
were incautiously brought into connexion with the 
scheme. But consider the parts which they re- 
spectively acted, and the number, situation, and 
circumstances, of all concerned ; for all these 
effectually tend to evince the reality of the events, 
and to remove, at every step, the supposition of 
imposture. Zacharias must have begun to carry it 
into execution in the sanctuary of the temple • 
on the only day, perhaps during his whole life, 
when he burnt incense in the order of his course a ; 
acting indeed in a manner which made all the con- 
gregation witnesses of his state. Coincident with 
this, was the preternatural conception of the aged 
Elizabeth ; and then the visit of Mary to her, 
after an angelic annunciation, and supernatural 
conception. Remember that the whole imposture, 



a It seldom, if ever, happened, that the burning of incense fell 
twice to^ the lot of the. same priest. 



266 



Lecture XI. 



if such it was, proceeded upon the perilous 
assumption of the sex of both the children ; and 
upon the assumption also, that having come to 
mature age, they would willingly, and successfully 
appear in two distinct and remarkable characters, 
assumed by them indeed, and specified by the 
predictions of those concerned, but also corre- 
sponding to the descriptions of the ancient pro- 
phets, and expected as about that period to appear, 
though in a far different manner. Consider again 
the incidents occurring at the circumcision of the 
son of Zacharias, which were noised abroad among 
the neighbours, which excited their attention, and 
awakened their expectations. Consider the extra- 
ordinary coincidence of political events, by means of 
which Mary, usually resident in Galilee, brought 
forth her promised Son at Bethlehem, the only 
birth-place suited to the character which her Son 
was to assume. Consider the shepherds abiding on 
that night in the fields of Judea, addressed by an 
angel, who announced to them the glad tidings 
of a Saviour, Christ, born to them in Bethlehem, 
the city of David ; and hearing a chorus of the 
heavenly host praising God, and saying, iC Glory 
to God in the highest ; and on earth peace, good 
will towards men." Consider the infant Jesus, 
visited in his lowly cradle, not by the Shepherds 
only, but by the Wise Men; who were summoned 
from a distant country by an extraordinary celes- 



Lecture XI. 



267 



tial luminary, and, being directed by Herod him- 
self and the Sanhedrim to Bethlehem, as the birth- 
place of the expected King of the Jews, saluted 
the new-born Jesus with royal presents. Consider 
Herod, and all Jerusalem with him, troubled at 
the intelligence ; the sanguinary attempts of the 
Jewish monarch to crush him in his infancy ; 
his deliverance by a divine premonition to Jo- 
seph ; and the inspired declarations of Simeon 
and Anna in the temple at Jerusalem, not only 
to his parents, but ec to all that looked for redemp- 
tion in Jerusalem." — Consider, I say, all these 
things. Reflect on the number of those con- 
cerned, and the difference of their respective 
stations, residences, and views. Call to mind the 
visit of angels to Zacharias in the sanctuary, to 
the Virgin in her solitude, to Joseph in his 
nightly repose, to the Shepherds in their nightly 
watches ; — the heavenly signal which directed the 
Magi, and the dream which warned them of 
danger ; — the providence of God delivering Jesus 
from a massacre, and, by his Spirit, inspiring 
prophets to predict his future glory. Sum up all 
these things, and consider the improbability of 
an imposture, the success of which was so re- 
mote, as w T ell as so uncertain ; nay, rather confess 
its impossibility under all the circumstances ; and 
say to what other conclusion you can come, but 
that these things, explicitly and satisfactorily at- 



268 Lecture XL 

tested as they are, are the witness of God, which 
he has given us of his Son, little less expressly 
than by his own audible declaration from heaven a o 
Many of those, who had been concerned in 
the transactions we have been considering, had 
been gathered to their fathers, and a period of 
thirty years had elapsed, when Jesus prepared to 
fulfil his high destiny, by entering on his public 
ministrations. He had been ushered into the 
world by circumstances which indicated the spe- 
cial interposition of the Father, and in which, 
therefore, he gave witness, that he had sent him 
for some great and holy purpose. We shall have 
to point out three distinct repetitions, during the 
short period of his public life, of <( the witness of 
the Father/' And after the separate consider- 
ation of each of these, we shall also re-consider 
in connexion with it the witness of the Father, 
which had been given to the same effect,, by the 
circumstances attendant on his birth. 

I. At the usual age for entering on the Aaronic 
priesthood, Jesus came from Galilee, where he 
had been brought up, into Judea, to partake of 
that baptism, which John had been divinely com- 
missioned to administer in the name of him who 



a He who wishes to see this most satisfactory argument fully 
discussed, may refer to the late Dr. Bell's Inquiry into the Divine 
Missions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ ; a work which 
deserves to be more generally, and very attentively perused. 



Lecture XI. 



269 



should come after him. When Jesus had received 
the rite of baptism, and was coming out of the 
water, "the heavens were opened, and the Holy 
Spirit, in a bodily appearance, as a dove, de- 
scended upon him, and, as John testified, iC abode 
upon him." At the same time there came also 
a voice from heaven, saying, ce This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased V — Thus had 
the Father himself given to Jesus authority to 
declare, as he did in the early part of the dis- 
course, from whence our text is taken, "The 
Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things 
that himself doeth." For he audibly announced 
that he was that "beloved Son, in whom he had 
ever been well pleased 1 ';" and thus he testified 
that he sanctioned and approved the office which 
he was about to undertake. According to pro- 
phecy, he then also cc put his Spirit upon his ser- 
vant, whom he upheld, his elect, in whom his 
soul delighted c ." Thus was the Baptist himself 
enabled to point him out to others^ as that exalted 
personage, to whom appertained the office of 
" baptizing with the Holy Ghost f- for he had 
now seen the exhibition of that signal which had 
been promised for his direction. Hence he could 
announce him as the Son of God, because he had 



b Matt. iii. 17. — e» ao evcoKrjcra. 

c See Isai. xlii. 1. Also '2 Sam. vii. 14. Psal.lxxxix. 26, 27- 



mo 



Lecture XL 



heard it so declared from heaven by that witness 
of the Father, which was evinced both to the eye 
and to the ear; and the reality of which does, 
from the very nature of the fact, prove its divinity. 

But the Baptist also declared, by the same 
divine inspiration which had before guided his 
declarations, that Jesus was "the Lamb of God, 
which taketh away the sin of the world." If so, 
then Jesus was he, for whom cc a body was to be 
prepared," that he might " come, as in the volume 
of the book it was written of him, to do the will 
of God, when God no longer desired sacrifice and 
offering, nor required burnt-offering and sin- 
offering a ." Then was Jesus that "most Holy" 
one, who was to be " anointed, to finish the 
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to 
make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in 
an everlasting righteousness, and to make the 
sacrifice and oblation to cease b ." Then was 
Jesus he, who was to be "a priest upon his 
throne 0 ," uniting in himself the prerogatives of 
Aaron and of David : for, though ec not called after 
the order of Aaron, he was called to^be a priest 
for ever after the order of Melchizedec d ;" and 
though he was David's Son, he was also " David's 
Lord 6 ." Jesus is indeed "the High priest of 



a Isai. xl> 6", &c. b Dan. ix. 24, 27. «= Zech. vi. 13. 

d Heb. v. (), &c. and chap. vii. Ps. ex. 4. e Ps. ex. 1. 



Lecture XL 



271 



our profession." By his participation of human 
nature, he was made acquainted with our infirmi- 
ties, and thus can be "a merciful as well as a faithful 
high priest in things pertaining to God." But 
by his supernatural and immaculate conception 
we know that he is " such an high priest as became 
us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin- 
ners," because he is not "shapen in iniquity, nor 
conceived in sin f ." Thereby we also know that 
he is the Son of God, and therefore, " because he 
continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priest- 
hood s ." — And by the witness of the Father at his 
baptism we know that as he was called of God 
to be a high priest, so was he also consecrated 
by God. " The word of the oath, of which David 
spoke in the hundred and tenth Psalm, maketh 
the Son a high priest, who is consecrated for 
evermore h and the voice from heaven at his 
baptism declared that the Father was well pleased 
in the priestly functions which he was then about 
to discharge. He was at that time visibly inaugu- 
rated, in the sight of men, in a manner analogous 
to that by which the Aaronic priests were con- 
secrated 1 , As they were washed with water, so 
was he; and as they were anointed with oil, so did 



f See Heb. ii l6— 18 ; lii. 1,2; vii. 24—28. 

s Heb. vii. 24. h Ps. ex. 4. Heb. vii. 28. 

1 Exod. xxix. 4 — J. Lev. viii. 6* — 10. 



272 



Lecture XL 



he partake of the measureless and abiding unction 
of that Holy Spirit which was thereby typified. 

This attestation of the Father had already been 
given to Jesus, at the time when he spoke the words 
of our text. If it be connected with the witness 
of John, with his supernatural birth, and with the 
prophecies of the ancient Scriptures, it points out 
to us Jesus, as the Son of God, appearing as our 
high priest. But if considered merely as a de- 
tached fact, it is declaratory of his divine mission. 
And our Lord, in the latter part of the text, so 
applies it for the conviction of those whom he 
addressed. And since his remarks referred to 
that incident, we must adopt that particular ex- 
position of the allusion, which corresponds to our 
opinion respecting the circumstances of that fact; 
for he therein specifies three of the particulars 
concerned, the audible voice of the Father, the 
visible appearance, and the word which was heard. 
If, according to the opinion entertained by some, 
and which seems the impression naturally pro- 
duced by a perusal of the narrative, we suppose 
that this heavenly appearance and declaration took 
place in the sight and hearing of those who came 
to be baptized by John ; and that possibly, there- 
fore, some of those whom our Lord addressed, 
were themselves present, we shall of course render 
the first clause of the passage interrogatively, as 
the original will certainly allow us to do: "The 



Lecture XI. 



213 



Father, who hath sent me, himself hath borne 
witness of me. Have ye never at any time heard 
his voice, nor seen his appearance? x\nd ye have 
not his word (his declaration) abiding in you ; 
for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." — 
If we suppose, with others, that only John and 
Jesus were present at this scene, then we may 
understand our Lord as granting, that they had 
not themselves heard the voice, and seen the ap- 
pearance, when the Father testified that cc he was 
his beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased." 
Yet as John had both seen, and heard, and also 
had publicly testified of these things, they erred 
by not retaining an abiding recollection of this 
declaration of God ; and, by not believing in him 
whom the Father had sent, they were neglecting 
and despising the express witness of God himself. 
— But even if we suppose that John alone was, 
with Jesus, the spectator and auditor of these 
things, yet two instances of a similar kind soon 
afterwards occurred, which are attested by a 
greater number of witnesses; so that these inci- 
dents derive support from each other, both as to 
the certainty of the fact, and as to the heavenly 
information thereby conveyed. 

II. The Father himself again bore witness 
of Jesus at the time of his transfiguration. — 
Those, who were with Jesus at the time, were 
Peter, and James, and John. The incident is 

S 



274 



Lecture XL 



related, circumstantially, by each of the three first 
Evangelists ; and St. John also seems prin- 
cipally to refer to it when he says j u We have 
beheld his glory, as that of the only-begotten 
of the Father V St. Peter also, in words which 
we have already quoted from his second Epistle, 
largely states its certainty, its circumstances, and 
the evidence which it gave to Jesus. At the time, 
the splendour of a scene so glorious impressed 
St. Peter so powerfully, that, in energetic lan- 
guage, ff not knowing what he said/' he gave 
vent to his feelings ; in language, however, which, 
though unadvised, proved his full conviction of the 
reality of the unexpected scene. But in the words 
which we cited from his Epistle, written but a 
short time before he sealed his testimony with 
his blood, he speaks of it with a coolness, which 
indicated a sober and matured conviction of the 
reality of that scene, of which he and others had 
been eye-witnesses, of which he retained so vivid 
a recollection, and of the design and evidence 
of which he had now so distinct an apprehension. 
Not only was Jesus seen by the three disciples, 
arrayed in the "body of his glory/' but Moses, 
the legislator and prophet of the Jews, was there; 
and Elias also, one of the most eminent later 



a Matt, xvii ; Mark ix ; Luke ix ; John i. 14. 



Lecture XI. 



275 



prophets, and the restorer of the law. With 
them Jesus held familiar converse, the grand 
subject of which was his approaching death. But 
shortly they retired, and Jesus was left alone; 
then to receive that testimony from heaven, which 
was to declare his divine and unrivalled dignity. 
cc A bright cloud overshadowed the disciples; and, 
behold, a voice out of the cloud, which said, 
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased ; hear ye him" 

It will readily occur to any one, who considers 
the terms of this declaration, that it supplies us 
with a divine interpretation of that prediction, 
which was delivered by Moses to the Israelites, 
when they had desired that they might not again 
see the awful glories, and hear the appalling 
thunders and voices of mount Sinai. ff The 
Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet 
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto 
me; unto him shall ye hearken b ." Such a pro- 
phet and mediator was to be sent to the Israelites, 
in compliance with the request which they had 
made, and in condescension to human infirmity. 
But though man should not again ''hear the voice 
of the Lord God, nor see that great fire/' as in 
Horeb, on the day of the assembly ; yet would 
God reveal his will in a manner equally authori- 



b Deut. xviii. 15 — 19. 
S 2 



276 



Lecture XL 



tative, though with milder and less tremendous 
glory. The Lord said to Moses, after the solemn 
delivery of the law, "Thus shalt thou say unto 
the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have 
talked with you from heaven a ." And after Jesus 
had been transfigured on the holy mount, the 
Father did again " talk with man from heaven ;" 
declaring Jesus to be the mediator of the new 
covenant, as Moses had been of the old. He, to 
whom the Father thus gave witness, was sent to 
make known to us ec the truth which he had heard 
of God." For God had declared by Moses re- 
specting that Prophet, " I will put my words in 
his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that 
I shall command him." When, therefore, the 
Father, giving testimony to Jesus, says to us, 
" Hear ye him," may we not be sure that " as 
the Father gave him commandment, so he spoke?" 
Although, therefore, in the dispensation of which 
Jesus is the prophet, "we are not come to the 
blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and terrible 
words" of mount Sinai, but to the milder glories 
of mount Sion ; yet " the word, which went forth 
from Sion," has its threatenings, as well as its 
grace and truth. "It shall come to pass," said 
the Lord again, " that whosoever will not hearken 
unto my words, which that prophet shall speak 



* Exod. xx. 22. 



Lecture XI. 



277 



in my name, I will require it of him/' And very 
justly, therefore, does the Apostle give to us the 
exhortation; cc See that ye refuse not him that 
speaketh ; for if they escaped not, who refused 
him that spake on earth, much more shall not we 
escape, if we refuse him that speaketh from 
heaven ;" even God himself, who cc in these last 
days hath spoken unto us by his SonV 

Did we say that this heavenly Messenger was 
the Son of God ? — What said the voice that came 
out of the cloud? "This is my beloved Son; 
hear ye him/' And was not the same testimony 
also given, when he was about to enter on his 
ministry ? And had not that declaration, which 
avouched Jesus to be ci the beloved Son, in whom 
the Father was well pleased/' been previously 
declared bejore his birth, and been also confirmed 
by the manner of his birth ? Did we not recite to 
you the words of the angel, announcing^ to the 
Virgin her approaching conception by the cc over- 
shadowing of the power of the Highest?" There- 
fore" said the heavenly herald, " that holy thing, 
which shall be born of thee, shall be called the 
Son of God" Though Jesus appeared fr in the 
likeness of sinful flesh," yet are we to believe in 
him upon principles, and with views, which could 
not be applicable to any one, who was nothing 



b Heb. xii. 25. i. 1, 2. 



278 



Lecture XL 



more than a prophet of the human race. We 
have many declarations from the Father that he is 
the Son of God ; many declarations from himself, 
supported and confirmed by the witness of John, 
of his own works, and of prophecy, that he is the 
Son of God. Let then the " word of the Father 
abide in you, that ye may believe in hirn whom he 
hath sent." Hear him with that unreserved obe- 
dience of the full assurance of faith, which he 
may justly claim, who ff came down from heaven;" 
and who possessed that extensive and familiar 
acquaintance with the divine will, which could be 
attained only by him, who was from eternity " in 
the bosom of the Father/' who ec came from 
God, and went to God." 

In this manner has it been testified to us, that 
to Jesus belong the commission, and the authority, 
of the Prophet promised by Moses. And hence 
may we see, that while {( Moses was faithful in all 
his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those 
things which were to be spoken after ; yet that 
Jesus was so, as a Son over his own house V But, 
by a third witness of the Father concerning- him, 
he was declared to be ce the King whom, as his 
only-begotten Son, God would set upon his holy 
hill of Zion, though the rulers of the earth took 
counsel against him, and against his Anointed V 



a Heb. iii. 5, 6". 



b Ps. ii. 



Lecture XI. 



279 



III. This third testimony was given, as it 
should seem, on the day on which Jesus entered 
Jerusalem in his lowly triumph, and on which he 
was saluted as ic the Son of David, and the King 
of Israel/' by the eager multitudes, whose enthu- 
siasm he refused to repress. Probably it was even 
in the temple itself, but certainly in Jerusalem, 
that the Greeks, who had come up to the feast, 
applied to the disciples that they might be per- 
mitted to see Jesus c . Whether he granted their 
request, or not, is uncertain. But the discourse 
which he took occasion to deliver, and the incident 
which followed, especially deserve our attention. 
He immediately referred to that death, which he 
suffered only a few days afterwards, under the 
figure of corn, which, " except it fall into the 
ground and die, abideth alone; but if it die, it 
bringeth forth much fruit." His human nature 
felt all the fears and horrors which the prospect 
of his approaching sufferings might be expected to 
excite. But this public declaration of them was 
followed by as public a cc witness of the Father " 
from heaven. — cc Now is my soul troubled. And 
what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? 
But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, 
glorify thy name." This, whether it was the 
language of submission, or of prayer, equally 



c See John xii. 20- — 36". 



280 



Lecture XI. 



prepares us to attend to what followed. cc Then 
came there a voice from heaven, saying, / have 
both glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The 
people, therefore, that stood there, and heard it 3 
said, That it thundered; others said, An angel 
spake to him." The voice was distinctly audible to 
many, if not to all. The Greeks, if they were pre- 
sent, might not understand the language; and some 
of the Jews might be disposed to misunderstand 
and misrepresent it. But let us hear the remarks 
of Jesus respecting it, and we can easily judge 
whether they were verified. " This voice came 
not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is 
the judgment of this world ; now shall the prince 
of this world be cast out. And I, if 1 be lifted up 
from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This 
he said, signifying what death he should die." 

The Jews then present were unable to recon- 
cile this with their late joyful hailing of Jesus as 
their Messiah, and with their expectations respect- 
ing the Messiah. — cc The people answered him, 
We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth 
for ever ; and how sayest thou, The Son of man 
must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man?" 
Now though our Lord did not at that time add 
any explanation of the statement he had just 
made ; he exhorted them to " walk while they had 
the light, because the light would be with them 
only for a little while." Soon the event, to which 



Lecture XL 



281 



he alluded, was to take place. And on a former 
occasion he said to them, Ci When ye have lifted up 
the Son of man, then shall ye know that 1 am he, 
and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father 
hath taught me, I speak these things." The 
Father had just given witness to him, and he had 
" done many miracles before them." They ought, 
therefore, both to receive those communications 
which they could then comprehend, and also to 
believe that all others would afterwards be made 
intelligible. But very shortly the Father did iC glo- 
rify his name and, "in consequence of his being 
lifted up," Jesus was " crowned with glory and 
honour," and " all men were drawn to him." 

Was Jesus forsaken and disowned of the 
Father, because he was " given up into the hands 
of wicked men, and suffered death upon the cross?" 
The Father had spoken to him from heaven, and 
an angel from heaven strengthened him during 
his agony. But had he prayed to the Father to 
deliver him from the suffering of death, though he 
would " presently have given him more than 
twelve legions of angels/' yet tc how then could 
the Scriptures have been fulfilled, that thus it 
must be?" Yet even in those very transactions, 
which were so ignominious and so pitiable, was 
the testimony of the Father given to Jesus. — For 
remember , the preternatural darkness, which, at 
the time of the full moon, and beginning at noon- 



282 



Lecture XL 



day, for three hours overspread the land. And 
can we forget the circumstances which attested 
the truth of those words, so full of horror and yet so 
abundant in consolation, — so expressive of glory 
accruing to God, and of good will derived to men, 
— which were uttered by the lips of our dying Sa- 
viour? With aloud voice he cried, It is finished. 
He bowed his head, and dismissed his Spirit. — 
Then was the law accomplished, then were the 
prophecies fulfilled^ then was the salvation of man 
perfected. For did not God himself confirm this 
declaration, by the rending of the veil of the 
temple at the hour of incense, by the quaking of 
the earth, by the rending of the rocks, by the 
opening of the graves? The centurion, who 
stood near to the cross of Jesus, had before heard 
him exclaim, f< My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me?" But when he saw that Jesus, 
uttering the declaration, <c It is finished/' expired 
under circumstances, which so manifestly declared 
the interposition of God, he was so impressed with 
the solemnity of the scene, and with the majesty 
of the innocent sufferer, that Ci he, and they also 
that were with him, feared greatly, saying, Truly 
this was the Son of GodV 

Thus did the Father Ci again glorify his 
name/' by giving testimony to his Son. Thus 



3 Matt, xxvii. 54. Mark xv. 3$. 



Lecture XI. 



283 



did he confirm the authority, and sanction the 
conduct of him., who had refused to repress the ac- 
clamations of the multitude who hailed him as "the 
Son of David, and as the King of Israel that cometh 
in the name of the Lord who himself also avowed 
to the high priest, that he was iC the Christ, the 
Son of the Blessed." — And had not the Father 
given the same testimony by the mouth of an 
angel, before he was conceived in the, womb of 
the Virgin ? " He shall be great, and shall be 
called the Son of the Highest ; and the Lord 
God shall give him the throne of his father 
David, and he shall reign over the house of 
Jacob for ever ; and of his kingdom there shall 
be .no end b . ,J He was C( made of the seed of 
David according to the flesh but, by the 
manner in which he was made a partaker of flesh 
and blood, we also see, that he was David's Lord, 
as well as David's Son ; and therefore that he, as 
(C the Christ, does indeed abide for ever/' though 
as ruling, not on earth, but in heaven. For God 
himself has visited his people, by redeeming them 
from spiritual slavery ; and, in the house of his 
servant David, hath raised up a horn of Salvation 
from sin and condemnation ; by him, who was 
" called Jesus, because he would save his people 
from their sins." 



b Luke i. 32, 33. 



Lecture XI 



Though/ therefore, the Jews demanded of 
Jesus, as the proof of his authority, (c a sign from 
heaven/' and though their demand was refused, 
yet we see that, in fact, several such tokens were 
given • not, however, exactly in the manner which 
they presumptuously, and in the spirit of disbelief, 
required of Jesus, " tempting him." For we must 
be content to receive the evidences of our faith 
in the manner in which they are proposed to us, 
and to abide by the inference to which they both 
severally and jointly lead us. Probably it is still 
true, that such as are not convinced by the 
numerous miracles which Jesus wrought, will not 
more readily be impressed by those, in which the 
Father himself bore witness of him. But when 
the demand of a sign from heaven was refused to 
those, who in such a temper demanded it, the 
sign of the prophet Jonas was promised to them a . 
That sign also has been given. ee Three days 
was the Son of man in the heart of the earth/' 
and then was he again, and " with power, de- 
clared to be the Son of God, by the resurrection 
from the dead." Then was the witness of the 
Father completed; and then also began that wit- 
ness of the Spirit, the rejection of which renders 
men incapable either of repentance or of pardon. 

Calling to mind, then, all the wondrous events, 



a See Matt. xii. 35—42. 



Lecture XI. 285 

and heavenly testimony, which we have been 
surveying", with what reverence, confidence, and 
obedience may we listen to the words, which our 
Saviour spoke, after he had predicted the sign of 
Jonas the prophet. cc The men of Nineveh 
shall rise in judgment with this generation, and 
shall condemn it ; for they repented at the 
preaching of Jonas, and, behold, a greater than 
Jonas is here ! The queen of the south shall 
rise up in the judgment with this generation, and 
shall condemn it : for she came from the utter- 
most parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of 
Solomon, and, behold, a greater than Solomon is 
here!" We have this day learnt that he was 
iC the beloved Son of God, in whom he is well 
pleased, and whom we are commanded to hear." Let 
us then cc take up our cross and follow him let 
us " abide in his word, that we may be his dis- 
ciples indeed let us glory in his cross ; let us 
confide in his atonement ; let us pray for pardon 
through his blood and righteousness ; let us re- 
joice in his intercession ; and let us pray to be 
sanctified by his word, and by his Spirit. For, 
very shortly after he had spoken the words just 
cited, he said also, ic Whosoever shall do the 
will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is 
my brother, and sister, and mother V 



* Matt. xii. 38—50. 



LECTURE XII. 



OUR LORD'S APPEAL TO THE SCRIPTURES OF THE 
OLD TESTAMENT, AS PECULIARLY DESIGNED TO 
TESTIFY OF HIM. 



St. John V. 39, 40. 

Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have 
eternal life ; and they are they which testify of me. 
And ye will not come to me } that ye might have life. 

We observed^ in our fourth Lecture, that our 
Lord either left the attestations to his divine 
mission and character to convince by their own 
native force and palpable evidence, or proposed 
them in the most simple manner, until fuller state- 
ments and more detailed arguments were called 
forth by the doubts and difficulties, the prejudices 
and opposition of his contemporaries. But when 
such occasions arose, he unfolded to them as much 
as the imperfect accomplishment of the purposes 
of his mission, and therefore the incomplete 
exhibition of its evidences, would permit. Often, 
however, his statements are applicable to, and an- 
ticipate the fuller developement of the evidences ; 
of which, indeed, the discourse in which our text 



Lecture XI L 



287 



occurs is a remarkable instance. Those of his 
reasonings in this discourse,, which we have 
already considered, are sufficient to establish the 
justice of this remark. When he noticed to them 
the presumption in his favour from his not seeking 
his own will, when he appealed to the witness of 
John, to the witness of his own miracles, and to 
the witness of the Father, he had laboured so long* 
and so publicly among them, that enough was 
already before them, if not finally to convince, yet 
at least to arrest the attention. Enough had been 
already seen and heard to claim for him an impar- 
tial hearing ; enough to induce them, if not even 
then to believe in him, yet to pause ere they 
rejected his claims. And in order to come to 
a just and satisfactory decision, it was requisite 
that they should observe, in a candid frame of 
mind, his future conduct ; and should also de- 
liberately consider the more enlarged reasonings, 
upon which he would be ready to enter, whenever 
their difficulties called for appropriate statements, 
and whenever fresh facts either illustrated his 
former arguments, or supplied the materials for 
others. 

The same remark is also applicable, and, in 
some respects, more fully, to the appeal made in 
the text to the written testimony, which the Scrip- 
tures of the Old Testament afforded to Jesus. — 
The events, in which any prophecy is accom- 



288 



Lecture XII. 



plished, alone can finally decide, either its true 
interpretation, or the particular object to which it 
referred. It follows from hence, that the events 
in question must have come to pass, and their par- 
ticulars must be fully known, before that interpre- 
tation can be definitely settled, and the attestation 
of prophecy can be rightly ascertained. Now the 
prophecies of the Old Testament, which relate to 
the Messiah, are very numerous, and refer to 
a great variety of particulars. Of course, there- 
fore, when the Messiah came, before he could 
be completely identified, all the characteristics by 
which the prophets had described him must have 
been exhibited ; and therefore all the events, in 
consequence of which they were to be developed, 
must have taken place. We believe that, at the 
very time specified by the prophets, their pre- 
dictions were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. If 
in him they were not accomplished, there is cer- 
tainly no other in whom they were ; no other, 
respecting' whom the assertion can be advanced. 
But the great argument, deducible from a collective 
view of all the prophecies, could not be complete, 
until after those transactions which closed his 
ministry and life; by which so large a proportion 
of the prophecies were rapidly, but minutely, ful- 
filled. Yet even at the time when our Lord spoke 
the words of our text, much had already become 
sufficiently obvious. And since an apprehension 



Lecture XII. 



289 



of the entire prophetic argument could not be at- 
tained, except by discerning the correspondence of 
a great number of particular events to at least as 
many particular predictions, it would have been 
well if those, whom our Lord addressed, had even 
then commenced the inquiry. For having thus 
seen the fulfilment of prophecy already evinced 
to a certain extent, they might have been prepared 
to watch the progress of his ministry, and would 
have recognized thereby, more and more clearly, 
him, cc of whom Moses in the law, and the pro- 
phets, did write." 

Rightly to apprehend the evidence which 
arises from the word of prophecy, we must have 
recourse to that repository, in which it has been 
handed down to us. We must comply with the 
exhortation, which our Lord in the text addressed 
to the Jews. We must " search the Scriptures." 
We must investigate and study the particular 
predictions therein contained, and observe their 
order and connexion ; and, by comparing them 
with those events which correspond to them, as re- 
corded either in the same Scriptures, or in other 
writers, we must trace their accomplishment. 
Such an undertaking would evidently be too ex- 
tensive to be brought within the compass of our 
present design. There is, however, a more limited 
range, which falls within the path we at first 
marked out. For we proposed to contemplate the 

T 



290 Lecture XIL 

subject of evidence, either as it is actually con- 
tained in our Lord's discourses, or immediately 
suggested by them. Now our Lord has himself 
actually cited many important prophecies, to many 
he obviously alludes, and others afford at least a 
valuable elucidation of his statements. Even this 
more confined review exhibits, in a very satis- 
factory manner, the testimony of prophecy to 
Jesus ; and also, which is even still more im- 
portant, it supplies us with such directions and sug- 
gestions as are sufficient to lead us to a proper 
and conclusive view of the whole argument. It 
will be the object of our next Lecture, to take 
a cursory view of these actual citations and illus- 
trations of prophecy by our Lord himself. In the 
remainder of this we shall consider the subject 
more generally, but still in immediate connexion 
with our text. 

We have just cited the first clause of it, as 
containing an exhortation to <c search the Scrip- 
tures/' But many have preferred a translation of 
the verb in the indicative mood. According to 
this view, we must understand our Lord as grant- 
ing to the Jews, that they did search the Scrip- 
tures ; a concession, which all that we know of 
that nation, and especially of its leading men, 
shews to be made according to fact. To under- 
stand the words in this manner is, perhaps, more 
consistent with the style and method of argu- 



Lecture XII. 



291 



mentation throughout the whole discourse, which 
in no other instance is in the hortatory form. 
But still the same recommendation, which is 
expressed in the other translation, perhaps more 
agreeably to the phraseology of the original, is in 
this implied with almost equal force. Our Lord 
evidently conveys, in either case, his decided com- 
mendation of their attention to Scripture ; and he 
assigns the powerful motive, which either did, or 
ought to influence them in such a pursuit : cc Ye 
search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye 
have eternal life." 

With respect to the Jews of that time, this 
motive might have considerable difference of cha- 
racter and operation. Some of them seemed to 
think that the mere searching of the Scriptures, 
and " making broad the phylacteries" on which 
its words were inscribed, were of themselves 
meritorious acts ; and that thereby cc they had 
eternal life." Others might think it attainable 
by observance of the ritual law of Moses. Others, 
like the scribe with whom Jesus conversed, doubt- 
less esteemed the moral law as more than all 
" whole burnt-offerings and sacrifice," and that the 
things therein prescribed they must cc do, to in- 
herit eternal life." And, doubtless, they looked 
forward to the Messiah, as their own writings 
testify, as the bestower of eternal life on the Jews ; 
and some of those, who waited for " the consola- 

t 2 



292 



Lecture XIL 



tion of Israel/' probably derived from the Scrip- 
tures an expectation less free from the general 
prejudices of their nation ; and expected him who 
was to be cc the glory of his people Israel/* would 
also be " a light to lighten the Gentiles/' — But to 
all these our Lord's argument was equally cogent. 
Whatever were the modifications of their senti- 
ments, it was believed by all, except the Sadducees, 
that in them they had eternal life ; and therefore 
did they value them, and therefore were they bound, 
by their own principles, to make themselves fully 
acquainted with their contents. We also are 
assured, that the Holy Scriptures are able to make 
us wise unto salvation ; and that their record is, 
not only that cc God hath given to us eternal life," 
but also cc that this life is in his Son;" and that, 
c both in the Old and New Testament, everlasting 
life is offered to mankind through Jesus Christ, as 
the only Mediator between God and manV Yet 
the Jews in general cc were not willing* to come to 
him that they might have life." They had un- 
traced such interpretations of the prophecies, as 
could result only from attending to some, and 
overlooking others. And when these others were 
pointed out, and when the event shewed the 
proper sense both of these and of the former, their 
prejudices in favour of their own interpretation, 



3 Art. vii. 



Lecture XII. 



293 



and against the external humility of a suffering 
Messiah, armed their perverse and depraved wills 
against the decision, which would have been sug- 
gested by an unfettered judgment ; and therefore 
were they <e unwilling to come to Jesus that they 
might have life." They themselves thought that 
in the Scriptures they had eternal life ; and, added 
our Lord, ce they are they which testify of me." 

In this important declaration, our Lord not 
only asserts that the Scriptures would be found 
to predict and testify of him, but that he was that 
exalted Person, who, as Jewish writers themselves 
have confessed, is the great and continual theme 
of all the prophets. He lays down therein that 
principle, which is, in fact, a guide to the con- 
sistent and complete elucidation of the whole pro- 
phetic scheme. Prophecy had indeed a present 
and immediate use in supporting the hope, and 
exercising the faith, of those to whom it was first 
delivered. But even this end was attained by 
speaking of good things to come ; and by giving 
repeated assurances that a personage, who, after 
having been designated by various other titles and 
characteristics, was at length called (C Messiah the 
Prince," would in the latter days appear to ac- 
complish the purposes of God, and to complete 
the felicity of man. To predict the advent of 
Messiah— to communicate the previous knowledge 
of those marks by which he might be recognized 



294 



Lecture XII. 



as he that was to come — to display the necessity, 
and to explain the object of his coming — and to 
attest the importance of his mission, by shewing that 
all the revolutions of the world, as well as of the 
Jewish people, were overruled in order to prepare 
for his advent, and for the establishment of his 
kingdom — this was the main end and aim of " all 
that was spoken by the mouth of God's holy 
prophets which had been since the world began/' 
Thus had the matter been stated by Zacharias in 
his prophetic hymn; thus was it stated by our 
Lord, when, after his resurrection, " he expounded 
to them in all the Scriptures the things con- 
cerning himself, beginning at Moses and all the 
prophets." Thus did the Apostles declare, that 
"to him give all the prophets witness;" thus did 
the angel declare also to St. John, "the testimony 
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy 3 c the spirit 
of prophecy having no other use or end than to 
bear testimony, and to do honour, to himV 



a Luke i. 68, &c. xxiv. 27, 44. Acts x. 43. Rev. xix. 10. 
See also 1 Pet. i. 10—12. 2 Pet. i. 19—21. 

b Bishop Hurd in Serm. II. on the Prophecies. — He who, like 
the Ethiopian convert (Acts viii. 27, &c.) is ready to say, "How 
can I understand what I read in the Prophets, except some man 
should guide me ?" may with great satisfaction and benefit peruse 
Bishop Hurd's Introduction to the Study of the Prophecies, Serm. 
I — VI ; Bishop Sherlock's Discourses on the Use and Intent of 
Prophecy ; the four first Sermons of Bishop Horsley, Vol. II; and 

two 



Lecture XII. 



295 



Let this principle be kept in view, and it will 
shew, in the clearest manner, the object, and the 
connexion, of all that the prophets have spoken. 
It will teach us rightly to estimate the nature and 
the evidence of prophecy. It will shew that it was 
not vouchsafed to gratify the curiosity of mankind, 
or to serve a merely temporary purpose ; but that 
it was designed to demonstrate not so much the 
general superintendence of divine providence, as 
that particular and important exercise of it, which 
was subservient to the establishment of the Gospel. 
Hence it will also appear that the prophetic spirit 
was generally confined to one family and nation, 
not out of a peculiar favour or preference to them; 
but that these oracles were committed to their 
care, in order that the priority of their existence, 
and their uncorrupted preservation, might be gua- 
ranteed and demonstrated. For, at the arrival 
of that period which was the fulness of the time, 
considered with reference to the predictions them- 
selves, and the fitness of the time, considered with 
reference to the actual state of the world, ff the 
Gentiles were to become fellow-heirs, and of the 
same body, and partakers of the promise of God 



two very valuable tracts by Mr. Rotherham, published in 1753, 
and 1754, entitled, " The Force of the Argument from a collective 
view of Prophecy," and "a Sketch of the one great Argument, 
formed from the several concurring Evidences, for the Truth of 
Christianity." 



296 



Lecture XII. 



in Christ by the Gospel." — The argument from 
prophecy is, therefore, one, which appeals alike 
to Jew and Gentile. To the Jew — because he, 
for other and independent reasons, receives, vene- 
rates, and preserves the Scriptures as the word 
of God ; and because he, therefore, has a deep in- 
terest in the promises of the Messiah therein 
contained, and is bound to inquire into the reality 
of their accomplishment. To the Gentile — because 
the prior existence of such a volume of predic- 
tions, does, if they have been fulfilled, bespeak 
his assent also to the revelation made by that God, 
who " has in these last days spoken by his Son/' 
and has employed the wonders of his providence 
to assure us of the wonders of his grace. In 
order to enable the Jews to verify the claims of 
the Messiah when he appeared among them, one 
prophecy had been added to another, beginning 
from the first general promise of the efforts and 
triumphs of the seed of the woman, proceeding 
to limit the line of his descent within continually 
narrower bounds, and then, in succession, speci- 
fying a great variety of features in his character, 
and of circumstances in his life and proceedings, 
so unprecedented, so remarkable, and apparently 
so inconsistent, as to defy the most ingenious 
fiction to be so constructed before the event, as 
to unite them in one character, with a semblance 
of fulfilment. — When we contemplate the ap- 



Lecture XII. 



297 



pearance of Jesus, we see at once that some re- 
markable personage has been manifested, assuredly 
of the house and lineage specified in earlier pro- 
phecy; and answering/ both in the place and the 
circumstances of his birth, to the predictions of 
the later prophets. He appears as a prophet sent 
from God ; and having discerned, in the first 
instance, the approach of some Great One, we 
proceed, on a nearer view, to the discovery of one 
feature after another, until we recognize in him 
the personage previously described^ and anxiously 
expected, though not appearing at first in that 
character and dignity, in which the Jews most 
frequently and most fondly expected the Messiah. 
But circumstance is added to circumstance, till 
we find him to be the Messiah, to whom all the 
prophets gave witness ; and that he has accom- 
plished, or is setting forward the accomplishment 
of all that the prophets had predicted ; so that not 
one word has failed of all that they had spoken, 
and that the Evangelists have narrated ce no other 
things than those, which the prophets and Moses 
did say should come." 

It is manifest, from what we have already ob- 
served, that the prophetic argument is one of great 
extent, comprehension, and force. When we 
consider its extent, we immediately perceive that 
the materials for its developement began to be 
provided from the very beginning of the world. 



298 



Lecture XII. 



and that they were continually accumulating 
through a series of more than four thousand years. 
We shall find also, that many of the earlier pre- 
dictions receive much illustration from considering 
the time at which they were delivered, and the 
circumstances of the persons to whom, or by 
whom, they were spoken. They are, in fact, 
arranged in such an order, that each succeeding 
one, till, at least, the time of David, would lose 
much of its force and propriety, if delivered at an 
earlier period, and if the order were even disar- 
ranged at all a . We gather from hence, that they 
are means used in order to further one uniform, 
momentous, and continually advancing scheme; 
we see how suited they were to the immediate 
purpose of inspiring, cherishing, and elevating, 
the faith and hope of primeval times ; and we pass 
on to watch, with calm and increasing confidence, 
for their full and evident accomplishment. And 
whether we thus advance from the consideration 
of them in their order and variety, to contemplate 
the events of the age in which they were fulfilled ; 
or whether we begin from those events, and refer 
back to the prophecies ; we cannot but observe, 
with wonder, that they not only furnish a distinct 
evidence in themselves, but that they had speci- 



a See this strikingly illustrated in Rotherham's " Argument 
drawn from a collective View of Prophecy/' p. 10, &c. 



Lecture XIL 299 

lied beforehand every other evidence, and that 
every other evidence is illustrated by them. For 
the prophecies are found to have their fulfilment 
not only in that particular series of ordinary events 
which occurred during the life of Jesus, but also 
in such facts, and instructions, and proceedings, as 
themselves are independent evidences of a divine 
mission. Almost every circumstance which has 
been considered in our former Lectures, was a 
fulfilment of prophecy; we may almost say that the 
very arguments themselves are pointed out by the 
prophets ; but at least we have found that each of 
our Lord's reasonings could be very satisfactorily 
illustrated by a reference to the Old Testament 
predictions. This remark, which points out the 
comprehensiveness of the argument from prophecy , 
also very obviously suggests the great force which 
it possesses. And prophecy will still more con- 
stantly and prominently connect itself with the sub- 
jects of our future inquiry. Well therefore might 
our Lord observe in language so significant, " The 
Scriptures are they which testify ofme b : 3 ' As if 
he had said, c They are the special, comprehen- 
sive, and sufficient testimony respecting me. My 
coming, my character, my proceedings, my in- 
structions, and the object at which I aim, are all 
attested by them. My future sufferings and ex- 

b eneTvai elcriv al fxaprupov<xai irep\ ip.ov. v. 39* 



300 



Lecture XII. 



altation will be in conformity to their predictions. 
Every argument which I can offer, will be found 
justified by their intimations/if you will but search 
them, as well as by the facts which are familiar 
to you, and upon which I have been reasoning/ 

It should also be remembered, that these pro- 
phecies were delivered, not only at a great di- 
versity of times, ages, and countries, but in a great 
variety of methods. Sometimes God himself com- 
municated the promise in words. Sometimes he 
revealed it in a dream or in a vision, and provided 
that a prophet or an angel should give an in- 
terpretation of these, which itself became a 
prophecy, to be explained only by the event. 
Sometimes he immediately inspired the prophet 
himself to deliver it in his own words. (C Thus, 
at sundry times, and in divers manners, God spake 
in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets." 
And they, who were either the recipients, inter- 
preters, or promulgators of these diversified 
communications, were men of all ranks, ages, 
conditions, and circumstances ; severally according 
to their own necessities, or the situation and cir- 
cumstances of others, or of their country, or of the 
world, recei-ving intimations of those things which 
should come to pass. The events which were to 
precede, and to prepare the way for the fulness of 
the time in which the Promised One was to appear, 
were those transactions and revolutions of the four 



Lecture XII 



301 



great monarchies, which are the well known 
subjects of ancient and classical history. The 
predictions respecting* these were fulfilled only in 
the course of many centuries. Those, which re- 
spected the personal appearance of the Messiah, 
were sometimes delivered conjointly with the 
former, sometimes were distinct from them; but 
were fulfilled in the course of a very few years. 
All together formed one connected chain. The 
events were such, and so numerous, as to exclude 
the possibility of accounting- for this conformity to 
previous annunciation by the supposition of casual 
coincidence ; nor could the mere conjectures of the 
wisest mortals have so accurately described them. 
Either we must say that they were delivered by 
the communication of him, who alone could foresee 
those contingent events, which are brought about 
by the ordinary motives and proceedings of human 
conduct ; or that the same great Being, cc who 
doeth according 1 to his will among the armies of 
heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth/' 
moulded, controlled and adjusted the motives, 
actions, and successes of all these numerous 
assents, so as to produce an exact conformity to 
the predictions of the prophets. Either of these 
suppositions involves the interposition of the Deity. 
And in the same manner as a miracle implies and 
teaches the exercise of the same Omnipotence 
which created the world, and which gave to the 



302 



Lecture XII. 



course of nature a law unbroken, except at the 
will of the Creator; so does the clear previous 
existence of prophecy, and the certainty of its 
extensive fulfilment, prove that he, whose omni- 
science perceives, whose prescience foresees, 
and whose providence overrules all things, must 
in this case also have interposed. And we need 
surely no argument to convince us that he, who 
is the God of nature, is the same God, who alone 
"declares the end from the beginning, and from 
ancient times the things that are not yet done ; 
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all 
my pleasure/' His alone is that <c wisdom, which 
reacheth from one end to the other mightily, and 
doth sweetly order all things." 

We have now taken a general survey of the 
manner in which the Scriptures of the Old Tes- 
tament give testimony to Jesus, as the Messiah 
promised of old. We have principally alluded to 
the express predictions of the Old Testament ; 
and also to the history of the earlier ages of the 
world, as indicating a tendency of all the arrange- 
ments of Providence towards the fulfilment of 
those predictions in their season. In the mean 
time, those assurances of mercy thus given to the 
Fathers, and the holy covenant into which God 
entered with them, were sufficient to animate and 
guide them in their pilgrimage through this world 
to a better and a heavenly country. For by the 



Lecture XII. 



303 



miracles which sometimes accompanied the deli- 
very of these predictions, and by the partial 
fulfilment of them, or of others of a similar 
origin, they had such evidence of the care and 
gracious intentions of that God, (C who had pro- 
vided better things for us, that they without us 
should not be made 'perfect/' as that even they 
f£ died in faith ; not having received the promises 
indeed, but having so seen them afar off, as to be 
persuaded of them, and to embrace them/' — And 
in another way also did the provisions of earlier 
revelation provide a testimony to the promised 
Messiah. The method of worship by sacrifices, 
the various ceremonies of the Mosaic ritual, and 
very many of the peculiar arrangements of their 
civil and political system, were all occasioned by 
the design of raising up out of the Jewish nation 
that Deliverer, who was predicted by their own 
prophets. The consideration of the numerous 
particulars to which we have alluded is highly 
satisfactory ; for it tends to strengthen more and 
more our conviction that the Scriptures of the 
Old Testament, are they that testify of Jesus. 
For it shews not only that their predictions 
describe him, and that the events which they 
relate were preparing for his advent, but also 
that the civil and political injunctions were de- 
signed to shew that he was born of the promised 
house and lineage, and that the religious cere- 



304 



Lecture XII. 



monies, in a vast variety of methods, represented 
and typified his character and understanding" a . 

<c Search, then, the Scriptures ; for in them 
ye think ye have eternal life. And they are those 
which testify of Me/' said Jesus, whom we believe 
to have been the Christ. — Now the Scriptures, 
eternal life, and Jesus Christ, are terms familiar 
to us, and in some degree, at least, understood by 
all of us. And it is by allowing the connexion 
and mutual dependency of the ideas thereby 
conveyed., that the Christian deduces those prin- 
ciples and motives, and cherishes those hopes 
and expectations, which distinguish him from the 
Jew and the Infidel. — The Infidel, indeed, either 
does not at all concern himself about the hope of 
eternal life ; or he derives it from the boasted 
arguments of natural religion, independently both 
of the Scriptures, and of him, who, <c through the 
Gospel, has brought life and immortality to light." 
— The Jew does indeed look forward to eternal 
life, but he derives not that hope from the record 
which God has given of his Son Christ Jesus. 
For he believes not that Jesus was one whom God 
had sent ; and, therefore, while he admits the 
divine authority of the Scriptures of the Old 

a Among other excellent works which would elucidate this 
part of our subject, I would refer more especially to " Allix's 
Reflections on the Old and New Testament." They are reprinted 
in Bp. Watson's Tracts, Vol. I. 



Lecture XII 



305 



Testament referred to in the text, and allows that 
they testify of a promised Messiah, he believes not 
that Jesus is that Messiah. Multitudes of Jews 
have, indeed, even in modern times been induced, 
from the evidence of the prophecies, to admit the 
Messiahship of Jesus, and have embraced the 
Christian faith. Very many of these have been 
learned men, and have left behind them, in their 
several writings, a statement of the reasons which 
influenced them b . But as a nation, they reject 
the claims of Jesus. In the apostolic times also, 
ec great multitudes of Jews," " many even among 
the chief rulers," believed on him, and " a great 
company of their priests became obedient to the 
faith V But then also, as a nation, they rejected 
him. The motives and grounds of that rejection, 
in some respects common to unbelievers of all 
ages and nations, our Lord notices in the words 
following the text, which will be considered in 
a future Lecture. But when our Lord delivered 
this discourse, these principles had not yet come 
into full operation. The question of his divine 
mission and Messiahship was as yet, in a great 



b See a very interesting account of the conversion and writings 
of Jewish Rabbis, and of their labours among their countrymen, 
at the end of Chapman's Eusebius ; who gives references to those 
authorities which he says would have enabled him to enlarge his 
list. 

c John xii. 42. Acts vi. 7 ; xxi. '20. 

u 



306 



Lecture XII. 



measure, undecided. The Jews, and more espe- 
cially their rulers, were evidently prejudiced 
against him, and rather disposed to oppose and 
persecute him, than to admit his claims. This 
prejudice and opposition had not, however, pro- 
ceeded to the lengths to which it afterwards did ; 
but only so far as to draw from our Lord a more 
full statement respecting his claims, and the several 
arguments which he was able to produce in sup- 
port of them. We have heard what claims he 
advanced, we have considered his reasonings, we 
have surveyed and scrutinized the facts to which 
he referred, and we have now considered that 
testimony of Scripture to which our Lord last 
directed the attention of those whom he addressed. 
How then are we affected with regard to this 
important question, respecting eternal life, and that 
divine messenger who was sent to offer, who died 
to procure, and who was exalted to bestow a boon 
so unspeakably precious? Do we virtually sym- 
bolize with the Jew and the infidel, either refusing, 
because of the objections which are suggested to 
our understanding, or neglecting, because of the 
backwardness of our hearts, to ff come to Christ 
that we may have life?" 

If we entertain doubts respecting the fulness 
and conclusiveness of the Christian argument, 
have we given to it that deep and serious atten- 
tion, by which alone we can be advancing to a 



Lecture XII. 



307 



solid and abiding conviction ? I cannot persuade 
myself that it can, in general, be necessary to 
enter on a large and laborious investigation of 
philosophical objections, and metaphysical reason- 
ings, in order to attain a conviction sufficiently 
enlightened and rational ; one upon which any 
thinking man will act, who remembers the short- 
ness of life and the magnitude of the objects at 
stake, who considers the obvious force of the various 
reasons in favour of revealed religion, and the 
anxious scrutiny, both by friends and foes, which 
has not discovered the weakness, but shewn the 
strength of its evidence. Let us beware lest, after 
all, the truth be, that cc we are not willing to come 
to Christ that we may have life because we are 
aware that he who will enter into life must keep 
the commandments, and that the narrow way that 
leadeth unto life is a way of holiness and self-denial. 
The defect is more generally in the will than in the 
understanding; and even when it appears to be in 
the understanding, it generally proceeds from that 
predominance of the will, enslaved by its affections 
and lusts, which is, in fact, the essence and opera- 
tion of almost all the modifications of human 
depravity. 

It is this unhappy slavery, this love of sin, of 
the world, and of our present interest, that 
operates, not only to produce infidelity, but many 
other errors, which deviate from the doctrine 

u 2 • 



308 



Lecture XIL 



according to godliness. 1 cannot but persuade 
myself, however, that a remedy is proposed in the 
text, which, if duly adopted, would be effectual, 
both as to errors in doctrine, and inconsistency in 
practice ; which can make us both wise unto 
salvation, and also thoroughly furnished unto all 
good works. ec Search the Scriptures, for in them 
ye think ye have eternal life." Our ignorance, or 
our crude, partial, and unsanctified, knowledge of 
the Scriptures, is the fruitful source of error. Do 
we desire that it should be otherewise with us ? 
We must imitate the example of the Bereans ; 
and the same effects will follow in us with respect 
to the whole range of Christian doctrine and duty, 
which were produced in them with respect to that 
fundamental truth of our religion, the Messiahship 
of Jesus. " They received the word with all 
readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures 
daily, whether those things were so ; and therefore 
many of them believed V Pew comparatively, 
we trust, are they, who do not acknowledge them 
as the words of eternal life ; who do not know 
that they testify of Jesus, as cc the end of the law 
unto righteousness," and ic as the power of God 
unto salvation to every one that believeth." We 
fear, however, that few do value and search them 



4 Acts xvii. II, 12. 



Lecture XII. 



30$ 



as such. Yet is there an expediency, almost 
amounting 1 to a necessity, that both the preacher 
and the hearer of the Gospel should be well ac- 
quainted with these divine records. None doubt 
that (c if any man speak, he must speak as the 
oracles of God;" and that from the discourses of 
our Lord, and the writing's of his Apostles, he 
must learn, both the subject and the manner of 
Christian instruction. But a competent know- 
ledge of the same Scriptures is also equally neces- 
sary to the Christian hearer. The allusions, 
reasonings, statements, and exhortations, of the 
preacher, will not otherwise be sufficiently intel- 
ligible and impressive. We fear, therefore, that 
the success of our ministrations is much less than 
it might be, if the word of God were more read in 
the family and in the closet. Our success would 
probably be far less than it is, if the reading of 
Holy Scripture were not so prominent a part of 
our public Service. For the knowledge and in- 
fluence derived from that source we have, perhaps, 
more abundant cause to be thankful than we have 
yet been aware of. Yet how much greater would 
be our Christian edification, if the family altar, 
and the hour of retirement, could witness to our 
perusal of the Scriptures ! From how many errors 
would this guard us, from how many temptations 
would it preserve us ! How powerfully, though, 
perhaps, imperceptibly, would it dispose us to be 



310 



Lecture XII. 



not willing only, but eager, and thankful, to come 
unto Christ, that we may have life! — Receive, 
then, and search the Scriptures, " not as the word 
of man, but, as they are in truth, the word of God, 
which effectually work also in them that believe." 
Value and obey them, as those who know the 
authority which they possess, and the obligations 
which rest upon yourselves. For you rightly 
i( think that in them you have eternal life/* 



LECTURE XIII 



A REVIEW OF THE PARTICULAR INSTANCES IN WHICH 
OUR LORD, DURING HIS LITE, ACTUALLY CITES OR 
ALLUDES TO THE PROPHECIES AND TYPES OF THE 
ANCIENT SCRIPTURES. 

St. Matthew XL 12—14. 

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom 
of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by 
force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied 
until John. And, if ye will receive it 3 this is Elias 
which was for to come. 

This explicit and comprehensive declaration did 
Jesus make to the assembled multitudes, after the 
dismissal of John's disciples with the answer to 
their master's message. He uttered these words 
with all the confidence and composure of one who 
" spoke that which he knew, and testified that 
which he had seen ;" and he subjoined in this 
instance, as well as on other important occasions, 
the awakening words, " He that hath ears to hear, 
let him hear." 

The statement, which he had just advanced, 
did indeed demand attention, if they considered 
him from whom it proceeded. It came from one 



312 



Lecture XIII. 



to whom John had just been proposing the ques- 
tion^ cc Art thou he that should come, or look we 
for another?" It came from one who had been 
performing- in their presence such miracles, that the 
simple enumeration of them served as an answer to 
that question ; miracles, in consequence of which 
they themselves " glorified God. saying, That a 
great prophet has risen up among us, and, That 
God has visited his people." — The declaration also 
demanded attention, if they considered the purport 
of it. It announced to them the termination of 
that season, during which the glories of the latter 
days were made known to the sons of men only 
in consolatory promises, foreshadowing types, and 
prophetic anticipation. It announced the actual 
presence, exhibition, and olfer of the expected 
blessings. It referred them to the valedictory 
declaration of the last of the prophets, with which, 
four hundred years before, the voice of prophecy 
had ceased, and by which the volume of inspira- 
tion had been completed. " Remember ye," said 
the Lord of hosts by Malachi, " the law of Moses 
my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for 
all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Be- 
hold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before 
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the 
LordV — Thus were the Jews, to adopt the ex- 



Mai. iv. 4, &c\ 



Lecture XIII. 



pression of an Apostle, to be ce kept under the 
law, shut up unto the faith which should after- 
wards be revealed b ." Yet the law and the pro- 
phets were not silent respecting tc good things to 
come." Both the one and the other " prophesied." 
Previously to the appearance of John the Baptist, 
these prophecies had not received their accom- 
plishment. But then had that period commenced, 
in which " the God of heaven would set up a 
kingdom that should never be destroyed 0 ." "From 
the days of John the Baptist," said our Lord, 
ce the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and 
the violent take it by force. And if ye will 
receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

Such declarations as these also claim the atten- 
tion of us Gentiles. For the things of which the 
law and the prophets prophesied, were spoken of 
" the last days, in which it was to come to pass 
that the mountain of the Lord's house would be 
established in the tops of the mountains, and be 
exalted above the hills ; and all nations would flow 
into it." And already has it come to pass that 
many nations have said, cc Come ye and let us go 
up to the mountain of the Lord,, to the house of 
the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his 
ways, and we will walk in his paths ; for out of 



b Gal. iii. 23. 



c Dan. li. 44. 



314 



Lecture XIII. 



Zion hath gone forth the law, and the word of the 
Lord from Jerusalem V He, who was the mes- 
senger of the new and universal covenant, through 
whose doctrine cc the idols have been utterly 
abolished 5 /* and in whose name we trust, appealed 
to the law and to the prophets as giving witness 
to himself. He came " not to destroy, but to fulfil 
them." He referred to the Scriptures, as cc they 
that testify of him," and to Moses, as " writing of 
him." He declared that C( all things that were 
written by the prophets concerning the Son of 
man would be accomplished 0 ." And as he de- 
clared that cc the law and the prophets prophesied 
until John," so did he manifestly thereby intimate, 
that in his time we may justly expect to find the 
accomplishment begin, and that from his time we 
shall be able to trace its progress. 

In the investigation of this, as well as of the 
other evidences of the mission and character of 
Jesus, we may take his own discourses as a faith- 
ful and sufficient directory. He has not omitted 
either expressly to cite, or very intelligibly to refer 
to, the entire prophetic testimony respecting the 
Christ, and has required of us to inquire and 
judge for ourselves whether it has not received its 
fulfilment in himself. During his personal mi- 



a Isai. ii. 2, 3. b Ibid. v. 18. 

c Matt. v. 17. John v. 39, 46. Luke xviii. 31. 



Lecture Xlli. 



3i£ 



nistry, indeed, as we observed in the last Lecture, 
the proof from prophecy could not be fully stated 
and exhibited, because the most signal events to 
which the prophets referred had not then taken 
place. But the transactions of his crucifixion and 
resurrection having rapidly, and beyond all human 
calculation, evinced the fulfilment in Jesus of one 
large class of predictions, occasion was thereby 
given to appeal to them ; and the way was also 
then prepared for the fulfilment of many others. 
But even during the progress of his personal minis- 
try, a portion of the proof from prophecy was al- 
ready developed, and was accordingly appealed to 
by Jesus. — And it is also worthy of remark, that 
during this period he made provision for the 
elucidation of the remainder, and also for the 
establishment of his own character as an original 
prophet, by express, literal, and enlarged pre- 
dictions of those very events, which furnished the 
clue for unraveling the whole mystery of the pro- 
phecies, which reconciled the apparently contra- 
dictory attributes of the promised Messiah, and 
which displayed fully and finally the character of 
his office, the nature of his kingdom, and the 
purposes for which he was manifested. These 
several particulars we shall endeavour, under the 
guidance of the statements of Jesus, to elucidate 
in some future Lectures ; confining our attention, 
during the remainder of this, to his actual citations 



316 



Lecture X11L 



and allusions to the law and prophets during his 
personal ministry. 

One of the circumstances upon which Jesus 
insisted, both at the opening, and once and again 
during the progress, of his ministry, was the ful- 
ness of the season marked out by a particular 
class of predictions, which had indeed already led 
the Jews previously to admit and adopt an opinion, 
that the promised Messiah would shortly come. 
<c The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God 
is at hand 3 ." And again, when they demanded 
"a sign from heaven," he said, "Ye can discern 
the face of the sky and of the earth ; but how is 
it that ye do not discern this time b ?" At another 
time, also, he referred them to "the signs of the 
times," which would prepare them, ec even of them- 
selves, to judge what was right c ;" since they must 
either conclude that Jesus was "he that should 
come," or that another speedily would come to 
accomplish the predictions of the prophets. 

Jesus himself appeared in the character of " a 
teacher come from God," referring to his works as 
a proof that he was "sent by God," and that he 
" spoke the words of God." He therefore taught 
"as one that had authority. " He declared that 
he " came to seek and to save that which was 
lost," to "call not the righteous, but sinners to 



» Mark i. 15. 



b Matt. xvi. 1—3. 



c Luke xii. 56, 57. 



Lecture XIII. 



317 



repentance." He invited the cc meek to learn of 
him ; the weary and heavy laden to come to him 
for the rest which he would give to their souls." 
In proof of this as the proper office of him, whom 
the prophets had announced, he referred, both in 
the synagogue at Nazareth, and also in the con- 
ference with John's disciples, to the passage in 
the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, in which all this, 
with great particularity and variety of expression, 
was ascribed to him, upon whom would be " the 
Spirit of the Lord, because he was anointed to 
preach these glad tidings d ." — The same was also 
specified in many other passages of the Old Tes- 
tament 6 . 

Though Jesus, as well as the Baptist, taught 
that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, yet he 
adopted, as the ordinary description of his official 
character, the title of " the Son of man/' And 
from the way in which, on various occasions, 
he connected that title with other statements, he 
evidently intended to direct their attention to the 
following words of the prophet Daniel. " I saw 
in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son 
of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came 
to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near 
before him. And there was given him dominion. 



d Isai. lxi. 1—3. 

* Ibid, xi, 1 — 5; xlii. 1—8; lvii. 14— IS, &c. 



318 



Lecture XIIL 



and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, and 
nations, and languages should serve him ; his do- 
minion is an everlasting dominion, which shall 
not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall 
not be destroyed 5 *." These words evidently de- 
scribe a state of glory and exaltation ; and yet 
he, by whom such glory was to be attained, is 
called ce one like the Son of man." — That phrase, 
at least, certainly applies to Jesus, who appro- 
priated the title to himself; for he did undoubt- 
edly appear " in the likeness of men." But consider 
the remarkable manner and connexion in which 
he employed it as his appropriate designation. He 
spoke of a time when there should indeed c< appear 
the sign of the Son of man in heaven ;" referring 
to that expectation of " a sign from heaven" 
which the Jews had derived from this prediction 
of Daniel, and of which they had several times 
required the exhibition. When calling God " his 
own Father," and speaking of himself in a manner 
consistent with such a claim, he declared that he, 
the Son of God, "had authority to execute judg- 
ment also, because^ he is the Son of man.'* He 
spoke also of a time " when the Son of man 
should come in the clouds of heaven, with power 
and great glory ; in the glory of his Father, with 
the holy angels." He not only spoke to Nico- 



* Dan. vii. 13, l-k 



Lecture XIIL 



319 



demus of " the Son of man coming down from 
heaven,, and being in heaven/' but also declared 
that " the Son of man must be lifted up but he 
declared publicly to the Jews, "when ye have 
lift up the Son of man, then shall ye know that 
I am he." And when on another occasion he 
declared that "when he was lifted up from the 
earth, he would draw all men to him/' he had 
just said, ct the hour is come that the Son of man 
should be glorified." And when he had affirmed, 
in answer to the question of the high priest, that 
he was the Christ, the Son of God, he added these 
remarkable words, ec Nevertheless I say unto you, 
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on 
the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds 
of heaven." Thus both by his assumption of this 
title, and also by his application to himself of 
those attributes, which appertained to him whose 
it really was, Jesus appealed to those prophecies 
which described the humanity, humiliation, and 
subsequent exaltation of Messiah ; although he 
avoided the title of Messiah, which suggested to 
the minds of the Jews only the idea of earthly 
power\ 

b Matt. xxiv. 30. John v. 27. Matt. xxv. 31. John iii. 
13, 14 viii . 28 ; xii. 23. Matt. xxvi. 64. The Jews by adopt- 
ing the title of Christ or Messiah, as the usual designation o f" him 
that should come," seem to have connected with their expectations 
of him only the ideas immediately suggested by the title " Messiah 

the 



320 



Lecture XIII. 



The prophecies, upon which perhaps Jesus 
dwelt most largely, were those which respected 
his forerunner, and their connected mission. He 
expressly cited to the multitudes the prophecy of 
Malachi, which spoke of him, as cc the messenger 
who was to be sent to prepare the way of the 
Lord;" stating that John was he of whom this 
was written. He also added, with reference to the 
expectation which they still entertained respecting 
the personal appearance of Elijah, that "if they 
would receive it, he was the Elias who was to 
come John being described under that name 
in the concluding words of Malachi a . And the 
prediction of ''the messenger of the Lord/' was 
immediately followed by the assurance that "the 
Lord whom they sought should suddenly come to 

the prince.'" (Dau. ix. 25.) Hence our Lord, and also the Baptist, 
principally adopted the other prophetic descriptions of the promised 
deliverer. We have contended in several passages of these Lectures, 
as indeed even a superficial observation of the Gospel history 
teaches us to do, that John did not call Jesus the Messiah, and 
that Jesus did not himself publicly adopt the title. We, as 
Christians, rightly conceive that this and the other scriptural 
titles of our Lord are convertible terms. In the Epistles, as being 
addressed to Christians, it is the term generally adopted. But 
when we peruse or interpret those parts of the New Testament, 
which record the discussions of those periods, when it was still 
in debate, whether Jesus was the Christ, and also whether the 
functions of the Christ were of a spiritual nature, we must bear 
in mind the errors of the age respecting that title, as well as its 
full and genuine import. 

a Mai. iii. 1—4 ; iv. 5, 6". 



Lecture XIII. 



his temple, to purify the sons of Levi, and to purge 
them as gold and silver, that they might offer unto 
the Lord an offering in righteousness, and that 
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem might be 
pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old/' 
When, therefore, the witness of the Father and 
of the Baptist had declared of Jesus that he was 
the Son of God, he entered the temple, and 
expelled the traders from thence with the words, 
"Make not my Father's house a house of mer- 
chandise 5 ." And at a later period he exercised 
the same authority; which indeed belonged to him, 
if he was " one greater than the temple V And he 
then accompanied the act with the still more re- 
markable words ; et It is written, My house shall 
be called a house of prayer for all nations V' He 
therein actually cited a prediction of Isaiah respect- 
ing the calling of the Gentiles ; and also brings to 
our recollection the prophecy of Haggai, that 
"the Desire of all nations should come, and that 
the Lord of hosts would fill that house with glory ; 
and that the glory of the latter house should be 
greater than that of the former 6 /' Let it be re- 
marked in addition to our former remarks on these 
transactions, that in the first instance the Jews 
asked him "what sign he shewed, seeing he did 



b See John ii. 13—22. 

d Mark xi. 15 — 17. Isai. Ivi. 7 

X 



c Matt. xii. 6*. 
e Hag. ii. 6 — 9. 



382 



Lecture XIIL 



such things." On that occasion, adapting his 
answer to their question, he referred them, as 
he always afterwards did, when they demanded 
a sign, to his resurrection from the dead. " Destroy 
ye this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 
But in the latter case, when they merely proposed 
the question, cc by what authority he did these 
things, and who gave him this authority/' he then 
prepared to reason with them respecting the pas- 
sage of Malachi, which connected the £t sudden 
coming of the Lord whom they sought to his 
temple/ 5 with the ec sending of the messenger to 
prepare his way before him/' by asking of them, 
" whether the baptism of John were from heaven 
or of men." They knew the message that John 
had delivered; if then they allowed the authority 
of that messenger, whom he had immediately fol- 
lowed, and who had borne witness to him, his 
authority was that of " the messenger of the cove- 
nant, and of the Lord, whom they sought;" and he 
had suddenly come to his temple, as " one greater 
than the temple 3 ." And Jesus had also previously 
prepared them for considering this question, by his 
solemn entry into Jerusalem in the manner describ- 
ed by the prophet Zechariah : by receiving during 
his progress to the temple, and in the temple itself, 



a Compare 2 Chron. vi. ]6 — 18, and Isai. ix. 6, 7, with 

Maggai ii. 7, and Mai. iii. 1, 



Lecture XI li. 



the acclamations of the multitude, who saluted him 
as " the blessed one that cometh in the name of 
the Lord/' and as ce the Son of David.'" He re- 
fused to forbid or restrain these acclamations ; nay, 
he even declared that (C if they were silent, the 
stones would immediately cry out." And when the 
Pharisees put to him the significant question, 
"Hearest thou what these say ?" He answered, 
ee Yea and added, citing 1 the words of the Psalm- 
ist, " Have ye never read, Out of the mouths of 
babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise b ?" 
Thus fully and willingly did Jesus appeal to the 
prophets, and cite from them such passages as 
either proved or illustrated his mission. And fain 
would he have reasoned with the Jews more largely 
upon the testimony of prophecy to those circum- 
stances, which were already sufficiently before 
them, and to which such a discussion was already 
applicable. 

When our Lord made the enlarged defence 
of his conduct before the Sanhedrim, and stated 
to them the evidences of his authority, he ex- 
pressly stated, cc If ye had believed Moses, ye would 
have believed me, for he icrote of me." — We can 
readily call to mind the several promises made to 
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; all of 
which are recorded by Moses ; as are the predic- 



b Psalm viii. 2. 
X 2 



324 



Lecture XIJ1. 



Hons of Jacob and Balaam. But that which should 
have seemed most likely to have had influence with 
those, who boasted that they were Moses's disciples, 
was his prediction of the " Prophet like unto him- 
self, who was to be raised up from among* their 
brethren, and to whom they were to hearken." 
Yet as many of that generation would not hearken 
to the words, which that Prophet " spake in the 
name of God, who had put his words in his mouth/' 
God did, as he had predicted by Moses, " require it 
of them." All the temporal calamities, which God's 
former dealings with the Jews would lead them to 
anticipate from such a threatening, (c came/' as 
our Lord predicted, cc on that generation." For as 
before for their idolatries, so now for their rejec- 
tion of him, in order to whose manifestation they 
had been preserved as a separate nation, their city 
and temple were destroyed, and themselves led 
away into captivity. And we have reason to believe 
it an historical fact, that none but those Jews, who 
became Christians, escaped from the calamities of 
the ruined Jerusalem. — Our Lord did not indeed 
actually cite any of these predictions during his 
public ministry. But we shall see, in our next 
Lecture, that he alluded very intelligibly to the 
first promise made to Adam ; and that he also 
made a declaration, which shews that he intended 
us to recognize in himself that Seed, promised to 
Abraham, and also to Isaac, and to Jacob, " in 



Lecture XIII. 



325 



which all the families of the earth were to be 
blessed/' And we would also remind you of his 
frequent assertions that the doctrine which he 
taught was that cc which he had heard of God/' — 
that " he did not judge the man who rejected his 
words/' but that there was one " who sought to 
be glorified, and would judge him," — that "the 
word spoken, the same would judge him," because 
" the Father had given to himself a commandment 
what he should say, and what he should speak, 
and, as the Father gave him commandment, so he 
spoke." Now if these expressions do not, in the 
first instance, remind us of the prediction given by 
Moses, they at least receive an important illustra- 
tion, and claim an increased and serious attention, 
when we read that prediction. For whosoever that 
Prophet was, whom God "raised up like unto 
Moses/' and to whom he charged them to "heark- 
en," it was said of him by God himself, " I will 
put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak all 
that I shall command him ; and whosoever shall 
not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak 
in my name, I will require it of him." 

But there was another way in which " the law 
prophesied" of the blessings of the future dispen- 
sation, viz. by type and figure. This subject was 
fully unfolded by the Apostles after Jesus had 
actually accomplished all that was thereby sha- 
dowed forth. But there are at least three in- 



326 



Lecture XIII. 



stances in which Jesus has himself touched upon 
this subject. In allusion to the brazen serpent, which 
was raised on high amidst the Israelites dying of 
the plague, that they might look thereon, and be 
miraculously cured, our Lord said to Nicodemus ; 
"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that 
whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but 
have everlasting life*." — After our Lord had 
fed the five thousand, the people, probably from a 
recollection of the manner in which Moses mira- 
culously fed the Israelites in the wilderness, said, 
w This is of a truth that Prophet that should come 
into the world." And, finding Jesus, they spoke of 
"their fathers having been fed with manna in the 
desert." Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, Moses 
gave you not that bread from heaven; but my 
Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 
For the bread of God is he, which cometh down 
from heaven, and giveth life unto the world h ." — 
And when Jesus instituted the feast which is to 
be kept in remembrance of cc his being sacrificed 
for us as our passover," he noticed the typical 
nature of the Jewish passover ; (c for he said unto 
the disciples, With desire I have desired to eat this 



a John iii. 14, 15. Numb. xxi. 6 — 9. 
b John vi. 31 — 63. Exod. xvi. 14, &c. Psalm lxxviii. 
54, 25. 



Lecture XIIL 



passover with you before I suffer ; for I say unto 
you, 1 will not any more eat thereof, until it be 
fulfilled in the kingdom of God 0 .'' — And, when he 
said to the Jews, that (c their father Abraham re- 
joiced to see his day, and saw it, and was glad d /' 
we may justly suppose that he alluded to the typi- 
cal nature of the sacrifice of Isaac. For it was 
doubtless on that occasion that Abraham was en- 
abled to foresee, and, in some measure, also to 
understand, the manner in which the promised 
Seed would become " a blessing to all nations/' by 
dying for them. And that sacrifice of Isaac, 
when considered in connection with the predic- 
tions of that Seed, who was to descend from 
Isaac, ( was a key to the sacrifices even of the law 
itself/ 

Thus did Jesus appeal to the law, of which he 
declared, when he repeated on another occasion 
some of the words of our text 6 ; cc It is easier for 
heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law 
to fail." We have already noticed in some measure 
how he appealed to the prophets. But he appealed 
to them much more largely than the limits of this 
discourse will allow us fully to lay before you. 
One other detached example we shall notice, and 



c Luke xxii. 15, l6. e'tos orov it \ rj p to 6 rj iv rfj (3acri\eia 
rov Geou. — Exod. xii. and xiii. 

d John viii. 52—56. Gen. xxii. » Luke xvi. l6, 17- 



328 Lecture XIII. 

we shall then briefly class the principal remaining 
instances under two general heads. 

Jesus was frequently addressed by the title of 
" the Son of David/' nor did he decline it; although 
it is evident that they conceived that title as 
synonymous with the title cc Messiah the Prince 
and indeed the prophets authorized them so to do. 
But they doubtless understood by it the heir of 
David's earthly throne ; and therefore our Lord 
undertook to shew them, that David had himself 
spoken of him in such a manner, as to shew that 
the expected Potentate was not such, either as to 
his original, his character, or the nature of his 
dominion, as they fondly supposed. (c Jesus asked 
the Pharisees, What think ye of the Christ? whose 
Son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 
He saith unto them, How then doth David in 
Spirit call him Lord, saying. The Lord said unto 
my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make 
thine enemies thy footstool ? If David then call 
him Lord, how is he his Son? And no man was 
able to answer him a word." This was indeed 
not the only difficulty which the same hundred 
and tenth Psalm, which is so often cited in the 
New Testament, would present to the Pharisees. 
For it spoke in figurative language of the sufferings 
of the Sou of David as prior and introductory to 
his exaltation ; and described him also as ' c a 
priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec, and 



Lecture XIII. 



329 



as therefore being*, as Zecbariah also had pre- 
dicted, fr a priest upon his throne V 

I. One of the subjects, just alluded to, upon 
which our Lord very frequently, though not 
always avowedly, cites the prophecies of the Old 
Testament, is the infidelity of that generation, 
and the consequences of it in the persecution 
of those who believed, and in the vengeance which 
overtook those who disbelieved, because " they 
knew not the time of their visitation." " In them, 
said our Lord, is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, 
which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall 
not understand ; and seeing ye shall see, and shall 
not perceive ; for this people's heart is waxed gross, 
and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes 
have they closed ; lest at any time they should 
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and 
understand with their heart, and should be con- 
verted, and I should heal themV' This passage 
is also cited by the Evangelist St. John, when 
speaking of the unbelief of the Jews, ec although 
Jesus had done so many miracles before them." 
And our Lord, w T hen speaking of the same sub- 
ject, observed, <c This cometh to pass, that the 
word might be fulfilled that is written in their 



a Ps. ex. Matt. xxii. 41—46. Mark xii. 34—37- Luke xx. 
40—44. Zech. vi. 13. 

b Matt. xiii> 14, 15. Isai. vi. 9, 10.— See also Jer. v. 20— < 23> 



330 



Lecture XIII. 



law, They hated me without a cause V For he 
tc had done among them the works which no 
other man did." — And again, <c Ye hypocrites, 
well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This 
people honoureth me with their lips, but their 
heart is far from me b ." And the next verse of 
that prophet contains a threatening, to which our 
Lord seems also to have alluded, when he said ; 
6C Father, I thank thee, that thou hast hid these 
things from the wise and prudent, and hast re- 
vealed them unto babes V 

When our Lord says, " I am come to set 
a man at variance against his father, and the 
daughter against her mother, and a man's foes 
shall be they of his own household," he adopts 
the language of the prophet Micah d . And it will 
also be found that he has very largely cited the 
ancient prophets in many of his statements respect- 
ing the destruction of Jerusalem, of which indeed 
he expressly says, " For these be the days of 
vengeance, that all things which are written may 
he fulfilled* " And it is scarcely needful to re- 

a John xv. 22 — 25. Ps. xxxv. 19 ; lxix. 4. 

b Matt. xv. 7« Mark vii. 6. Isai. xxix. 13. Ezek. xxxiii. 31. 

c Matt. xi. 25. Our Lord had just been speaking of his mi- 
racles. See ver. 18. of the same chapter of the Prophet. Com- 
pare also Isai. xxxii. 4; xliv. 18; liv. 13. 

d Matt. x. 35, 36. Micah vii. 6, 7. 

e Luke xxi. 22. Deut. xviii. 19 ; xxviii. 15 — 6'8. Dan. ix. 
24 — 27. Zech. xi. and xii. Mai. iii. and iv. 



Lecture Xlll. 



331 



mind you of the awful words which he subjoined 
to the parable of the wicked husbandmen^ to whom 
one messenger was in vain sent after another to 
receive the fruits of the vineyard f , until the 
owner "last of all sent unto them his Son." 
ec Did ye never read in the Scriptures, c The 
stone which the builders refused, the same is 
become the head of the corner?' Whoso shall 
fall on that stone shall be broken ; but on whom- 
soever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder s ." 
And when he added, on that occasion, that ec the 
kingdom of God, which was taken from them, 
would be given to a nation bringing forth the 
fruits thereof/' he doubtless alluded to the ap- 
proaching call of the Gentiles, which in several 
other instances he had even more distinctly pre- 
dicted, in strict conformity to what the prophets 
had stated respecting those who would be included 
in the Messiah's kingdom h . 

II. But lastly, Jesus also referred, before his 
sufferings commenced, to the prophetic testimony 



f See 2 Chron. xxiv. ig — 21; xxxvi. 15, 16. Neh. ix. 26. 
Jer. xxvi. 4 — 6. 

s Ps. cxviii. 22. For the sources, whence our Lord borrowed 
the general warning subjoined to his citation of the Psalmist, 
see Isai. viii. 14, 15. lx. 11, 12. Zech. xii. 2, 3. Dan.ii. 34, 35. 

h Matt. viii. 11, 12. John x. l6. Gen. xxii. 18. Ps. lxxii. 10, 
11, 17—19- Isai. xi. 10; xlii. 1=— 6. Zech. ii. 11 ; viii. 22, 23. 
Mai. i. 11. 



382 



Lecture XIIL 



of the Old Testament respecting them, and the 
events by which they were to be brought about. 
At the same time, however, by additional and 
still more minute statements, he made them the 
subjects of his own original and more express 
predictions. ic Behold/' said he to the twelve, 
u we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are 
written by the prophets concerning the Son of 
man shall be accomplished. — The Son of man 
goeth, as it is written of him, but woe unto that 
man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. — 1 speak 
not of you all, I know whom I have chosen, but 
that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 8 He that 
eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel 
against me/ — All ye shall be offended because 
of me this night, for it is written, ' I will smite 
the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered/ 
He that hath a purse, let him take it, and he that 
hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy 
one ; for I say unto you, that this that is written 
must yet be accomplished in me, c And he was 
numbered among the transgressors ; ' for the 
things concerning me have an end a ." 

Such things had he said to his disciples, be- 
fore there was yet any apparent fulfilment of the 
things which he had thus predicted. — When 



a Luke xviii. 31. Matt. xxvi. 24. John xiii. 18, 1<). Matt, 
xx vi. 31. Luke xxii. 36, 37. 



Lecture Xill. 



333 



those who came to apprehend him in the garden 
of Gethsemane were approaching ; he endea- 
voured to awaken their recollection of these 
previous assurances, and to arouse them to a 
sense of his and their danger by the declaration, 
cc He that betrayeth me is at hand." And when 
they were astonished and confounded, he reminded 
them once more that nothing had occurred, which 
had not been prophesied respecting him, nothing, 
from which his Father, if it were expedient, could 
not deliver him. " Thinkest thou," said he to 
Peter, "that I cannot now pray unto my Father, 
and he shall presently give me more than twelve 
legions of angels ? But how then shall the Scrip- 
tures be fulfilled, that thus it must be b ?" He 
noticed the same to those who came to apprehend 
him. " All this has been done, that the Scriptures 
of the prophets might be fulfilled. — The Scriptures 
must be fulfilled. — This is your hour, and the 
power of darkness 0 ." 

When on his trial, he professed himself to be 
the Christ, he cited the prophecy of Daniel, re- 
specting the Son of man, and argued respecting 
the nature and object of his kingdom. — But 
these things will be considered in a future 
Lecture. 



b Matt. xxvi. 53, 54. 

c Matt. xxvi. 56. Mark xiv. 49. Luke xxii. 53. 



384 



Lecture XIII. 



When suspended on the cross, C( knowing" that 

ALL THINGS WERE NOW ACCOMPLISHED, that the 

Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, I thirst a . ,J> 
And cc being numbered with the transgressors, 
and having made intercession for them/' he 
vented the feelings of his agonized soul in the 
opening verse of that Psalm, which had so dis- 
tinctly predicted those sufferings which he had now 
been enduring, the minute circumstances which 
had attended them, and the cruel taunts which his 
enemies had unwittingly uttered against himV 
And soon, appealing both to the law, and to the 
prophets, which had prophesied of all these things, 
and which were now accomplished, he declared 
with a loud voice, " It is finished 0 ." He ie bowed 
his head, and gave up the ghost/' 

To these words, and to all those which we 
have cited, may we not apply the exhortation of 
our text ? cc He that hath ears to hear, let him 
hear." We have not even alluded to more than 
an extract from the great volume of Prophecy. 
We have noticed those predictions only, which 
we know that our Lord actually cited, and to 
which he appealed, and even these but in an im- 
perfect and cursory manner. But do not even 
these shew to us, that " the law and the prophets 



a John xix. 28. Ps. lxix, 21. b Ps. xxii. Matt, xxvii. 46. 
c John xix. 30. 



Lecture XIII. 



335 



prophesied" of Htm? He, therefore, ee that hath 
ears to hear, let him hear." Let us hear ff the 
voices of the prophets," directing" us to Jesus as 
<e the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of 
the world." And let us hear also the voice of 
HIM, who says, (! Look unto me and be saved, all 
the ends of the earth." And cc to whom else 
should we go? for he hath the words of eternal 
life." Yet, how fC slow of heart are we also to 
believe all that the prophets have spoken!" How 
careless about that salvation, ec of which the 
prophets enquired and searched diligently, who 
did but prophesy of the grace that has come unto 
us !" To them cc it was revealed, that not unto 
themselves, but unto us, they did minister these 
things ; which are now reported to us by 
them, that have preached the Gospel unto us, 
with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." 
ce Blessed, then, are our eyes, because of the 
things which we have seen, and our ears, because 
of the things which. we have heard. For many 
prophets and kings have desired to see those 
things which we see, and have not seen them ; 
and to hear those things which we hear, and 
have not heard them." 

" He, therefore, that hath ears to hear, let 
him hear!" 



LECTURE XIV. 



OUR LORD'S DEBATES WITH THE JEWS. THAT RE- 
CORDED in st. john's eighth chapter con- 
sidered — in the course of which our lord 
specifies the period at which the evidence 
of his messiahship would be complete ; ap- 
peals to the purity of his life, and of his 
doctrine; hints at the fulfilment in him 
of the promise to abraham ; and asserts 
his pre-existence. 

St. John VIII. 28, 29, 45—47. 

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye ham lifted up the 
Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he } and that 
I do nothing of myself ; hut as my Father hath taught 
me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is zvith 
me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always 
those things that please him. 

And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 
Which of you conviriceth me of sin ? And if I say the 
truth, why do ye not believe me ? He that is of God, 
heareth God's words ; ye therefore hear them not, be- 
cause ye are not of God. 

The arguments of our Lord before the Sanhedrim 
having been considered in our former Lectures, 
and also such other arguments as were imme- 
diately referable to the same general heads, we 
shall proceed, in this and the three following 
Lectures, to discuss such as remain unnoticed. 



Lecture XIV. 337 

The subject of our next Lecture will be, our 
Lord's reference to his own prophecies as fur- 
nishing an evidence of his character. We shall 
afterwards notice his sayings at his apprehension, 
at his trial, and at his crucifixion. And our re- 
view of his statements on the subject of evidence 
will then be completed, by considering the man- 
ner in which he proved the reality of his resur- 
rection, and his reasonings upon the prophecies 
after that event. — Our attention will be directed, 
in this Lecture, to the debates which our Lord 
held with the Jews at an advanced period of his 
ministry. They are recorded in the sixth and 
following chapters of St. John ; and we have se- 
lected, as a specimen, that which occupies a large 
portion of the eighth chapter. We find in this 
debate the same kind of instruction, argument, 
and expostulation as in the others. And in the 
words of our text, which are extracted from it, 
three distinct heads of evidence are noticed, 
which we have not yet considered in the same 
point of view, and in the same connection ; 
viz., his death as supplying the complete and 
convincing demonstration of his character; and 
the purity of his life, and of his doctrine 3 as 
also claiming the confidence of all candid and 
devout inquirers. Our Lord concluded the debate 
with a significant intimation, that in him was 
accomplished the promise made to Abraham. 

Y 



338 



Lecture XIV. 



And as he had, on other occasions, advanced a claim 
to divinity, had reasoned upon it, and had given 
evidence of it, so he here repeated the same claim, 
by the declaration of his existence before Abra- 
ham. These various topics must be noticed in 
a very brief and cursory manner. But it is ob- 
servable, that in these debates, as well as in those 
set discourses, to which the subject of these 
Lectures had led us to advert, our Lord ever 
combined with the statement of evidence, declara- 
tions respecting the character and design of his 
mission, and forcible addresses to the conscience 
of his hearers. 

It will be expedient, with reference to the 
first topic which will offer itself, to renew our 
recollection of the state of opinion, which existed 
among the Jews at Jerusalem at the time when 
this debate took place a . 

For some time after the cure of the impotent 
man at the pool of Bethesda, and his arraignment 
before the Sanhedrim in consequence of it, " Jesus 
walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Jewry, 
because the Jews sought to kill him/' offended 
by his supposed disregard of the sabbath, and 
still more, because "he called God his own proper 
Father, making himself equal with God/' His 
brethren in Galilee were anxious that he should 



* See John, chapters vi. and vii. 



Lecture XIV. 



339 



go into Judea at the approaching feast of taber- 
nacles, and (C shew himself to the world." Jesus 
declined for a time ; stating that cc the world hated 
him, because he testified concerning it, that the 
works thereof are evil." About the midst of the 
feast, however, cc Jesus went up into the temple, 
and taught." There had previously been cc much 
murmuring among the people concerning him ; 
for some said, He is a good man ; others said, Nay, 
but he deceiveth the people." They were how- 
ever astonished that, cc having never learned," he 
was able to deliver such instructions; and were, 
therefore, not a little divided in their opinions re- 
specting him. Jesus himself in several instances 
adapted his remarks to their own difficulties and 
objections • and, more than once, alluded to their 
murderous wishes against him. ce Then said some 
of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he whom they 
seek to kill ? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they 
say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know in- 
deed that this is the very Christ? Howbeit we 
know this man whence he is ; but when Christ 
cometh, no man knoweth whence he is." Upon 
his repetition of the supposed blasphemy, in 
noticing these their doubts, "they sought to 
take him." But ee many of the people believed on 
him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do 
more miracles than this man doeth ?" And on the 
last day of the feast, after Jesus had spoken, under 

y 2 



340 Lecture XIV. 

the metaphor of water, of the future gifts of the 
Spirit " many of the people when they heard that 
saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. 
Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, 
Shall Christ come out of Galilee ? Hath not the 
Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of 
David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where 
David was? So there was a division among the 
people because of him. And some of them would 
have taken him ; but no man laid hands on him/' 
Even these officers of the chief priests gave this 
reason for not bringing him, " Never man spake 
like this man." 

Thus deeply had the people been impressed 
in favour of Jesus by his miracles and doctrine. 
Nay, so strongly were they disposed even to con- 
fess him to be the Christ, that the Pharisees, as 
we read in the following chapter, at this time 
deemed it necessary to denounce the penalty of 
excommunication from the synagogue, against all 
who made such a confession. Yet even the 
doubts which they entertained proceeded upon 
erroneous suppositions. And Jesus, as we shall 
see, at this season endeavoured to assist their 
inquiries, and to strengthen and direct their faith, 
at the same time that he avoided every thing that 
might encourage the carnal and worldly views of 
such, as dreamt only of the restoration of a tem- 
poral kingdom to Israel 



Lecture XIV. 



341 



ce Early in the morning/' on the day after the 
feast of tabernacles, " he went into the temple, and 
all the people came unto him V Borrowing an 
illustration from the rising sun, and thereby also 
applying to himself several prophetic descriptions 
of ce the Redeemer who should come to Zion, and 
unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob/' 
he said, "I am the light of the world; he that 
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall 
have the light of life V — A discussion arose in 
consequence of this declaration ; in the course of 
which Jesus stated, in answer to the objection of 
the Pharisees, that even his record concerning him- 
self was true, cc because he knew whence he himself 
came, and whither he went/' And he also re- 
minded them that cc the Father had borne witness 
of him," as well as he himself by his miracles. — 
But we need not dwell upon this part of the dis- 
cussion, as we have already had occasion to con- 
sider it c . 

" Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my 
way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your 
sins ; whither I go, ye cannot come d ."- — When 
they cavilled at him, as if he had spoken of an 
intention to kill himself, he reproved them be- 



a John viii. 12—20. b Isai. lix. 20, 21 ; lx. l. 

c See the former part of Lecture VI, and Lecture XL 
d John viii. 21, &c. 



342 



Lecture XIV. 



cause of the earthliness of their minds, which not 
only made them indulge the hope of a temporal 
Messiah, but also seemed to incapacitate them for 
learning better things. "Ye are from beneath, 
I am from above ; ye are of this world, I am not 
of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye 
shall die in your sins ; for if ye believe not that 
I am he, ye shall die in your sins/ —Our Lord 
was evidently now conversing with some of those, 
who were disposed to side against him ; and he 
was kindly cautioning them against persisting in 
those interested and deluding prejudices, which 
now so effectually blinded their understandings. 
Had they but had a disposition to judge impar- 
tially, or even to suspend their judgment, they 
would, at the period to which he alluded, when 
he said, "I go my way/' have seen fully that he 
was the Messiah that was to come, though not 
such as they expected. But he foresaw that they 
would, unhappily for themselves, cling to the fond 
hope of a Messiah triumphant Upon earth, while 
they rejected him who was indeed the Messiah, 
but who had then ee ascended where he was be- 
fore V* a ^d "gone whither they could not come." 
The promised Messiah would have gone his way ; 
they would still seek him ; and in the agony of dis- 
appointed hope, and amidst the destruction which 



a John vi. 6'2. 



Lecture XIY. 



343 



threatened them, would die in their sins. Because 
of their inveterate carnal prejudices, would they 
die in their sins ; ec for if ye believe not that I am 
he" — I, who appear in humility, in righteousness,, 
in the character of a prophet and divine instructor, 
not of a warrior and monarch — cc if ye believe not 
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." Whether 
Jesus were proved to be the Messiah or not, he 
had already given them such proofs that cc God 
was with him/' that he had the full sanction of 
heaven to demand of them a confidence in such 
a declaration as he now made ; and the awful 
alternative which he announced to them, might 
justly dispose them to inquire, as they immediately 
did, " Who art thou ?" — Jesus saith unto them, 
Si Even the same that I said unto you from 
the beginning 13 ." He had already made many 
declarations respecting himself. At Jerusalem at 
a preceding passover he had publicly, before the 
Sanhedrim, stated to them the authority which as 
the Son of man he had received of the Father. 
During the feast of tabernacles, which was just 
over, he had not been backward in speaking of his 
doctrine, of the source from whence he derived it, 
and of the blessings which he would be empowered 
ta bestow on all that believed on him. On that 
very morning, in the beginning of this conver- 



b See Note in page 319. 



344 



Lecture XIV. 



sation with them, he had declared himself to be 
■ e the light of the world/' But he proceeded to 
inform them that he had not yet fully declared 
either his own office, or their responsibility ; but 
that, at a certain period, and after a certain event, 
they would have the whole matter before them ; 
and such complete evidence would then be pro- 
posed to them, as would make their unbelief no 
longer excusable." c I have many things to say 
and to judge of you ; but he that sent me is true ; 
and I speak to the world those things which I 
have heard of him/ They understood not that 
he spake unto them of the Father. Then said 
Jesus unto them ; When ye have lifted up the 
Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and 
that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father 
hath taught me, I speak these things. And he 
that hath sent me is with me ; the Father hath not 
left me alone; for I do always those things that 
please him/' 

The Evangelist adds, that " as he spake these 
words, many believed on him." They were pro- 
bably impressed with an admiration of his fearless 
declaration of his doctrine in the midst of danger ; 
they recollected both his former and his recent 
instructions, and they could not but confess their 
truth and propriety ; they felt an assurance, justi- 
fied by the past wonders which had borne witness 
to Jesus, that the future instruction and evidence 



Lecture XIV. 



345 



of which he spoke would hereafter be afforded 
them ; and that cc what they knew not now,, they 
should know hereafter/' Perhaps they did not 
understand what he meant by cc the lifting up of 
the Son of man/' They might even still under- 
stand this as spoken of his exaltation to the tem- 
poral throne of David, rather than of his being 
ce lifted up from the earth" upon the fatal tree. 
Probably., however, they had some imperfect notion 
of his meaning ; for we find them afterwards 
observing, upon his use of the same expression, 
(e We have heard out of the law, that Christ 
abideth for ever ; and how sayest thou, The Son 
of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of 
man a V' Jesus did not, even then, explain it; for 
the event, which so speedily followed, could alone 
properly explain it. But he then added a caution, 
which might also have suited the occasion and 
connexion of the words before us, if the question 
had been at that time proposed to him, cc Yet 
a little while the light is with you ; walk while ye 
have the light, lest darkness come upon you. — 
While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye 
may be the children of light." 

As far as it respects the full understanding of 
this difficulty, of the way in which the Son of man 
was lifted up, and of all the glorious consequences 



a John xii. 34. 



346 



Lecture XIV, 



of that great but awful event, — to this extent, we 
are all <c children of light/' We know how Jesus 
died, and rose again ; how he thereby fulfilled what 
was written, and was declared to be the Son of 
God with power. Hereafter we shall have to con- 
sider this more at large ; let it suffice for the 
present to have observed, that Jesus previously 
specified this event as completing the evidence of 
his mission. Yet during his personal ministry c: he 
that sent him was with him, the Father left him 
not alone." Even before the Sun of Righteous- 
ness arose upon the earth in all the brightness of 
his meridian splendour, those who waited for his 
salvation, saw the brightness and felt the genial 
warmth of those healing beams, which gave full 
assurance that the light of Israel was come, and 
which prepared them to expect the glory that 
should follow. But to us are made known both 
the wonders of his holy and spotless life, the 
heavenly doctrine that flowed from his lips, the 
miracles which he wrought, the witness of heaven 
and of earth, of Prophets and Apostles, of holy 
men and holy Angels. And in whom have we 
therefore believed, but in Jesus, the Mediator of 
the new Covenant ; in Jesus, of whom all these 
things cc were written, that we might know that he 
is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing 
we might" not die in our sins, but " have life 
through his name/' To us, therefore, who have 



Lecture XIV. 



347 



known and received all these things, as well as to 
those who u believed on him, as he spake the 
words" which we have been considering, Jesus 
says ; C( If ye continue in my word, then are ye 
my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, 
and the truth shall make you free." 

That in these words he spoke of that slavery 
of sin, which is unto death, and of that spiritual 
liberty wherewith he maketh his people free, we 
learn from his own subsequent explanation of his 
words. In us there are probably few prepos- 
sessions so likely to frustrate his gracious inten- 
tions for our deliverance, as those which result 
from the debasing influence of that our slavery, 
w T hich makes us in love with our fetters, which 
causes us even gladly to remain in the darkness of 
our prison-house, and which disposes us to hear with 
apathy, if not with regret, the words of him who 
ec says to the prisoners, Go forth ; to them that 
are in darkness, Shew yourselves a ." But what- 
ever be the nature, and however domineering be 
the influence of the unhappy principles, which make 
us reluctant to be liberated from that service, of 
which "the wages is death," by the Son, '"who can 
make us free indeed," we shall do well to reflect 
how severely Jesus reproved and expostulated 
with those Jews, to whom these words appeared 



* Isai. xlii. 7 



348 



Lecture XIV. 



to suggest, not, as to a Christian, a salutary and 
yet encouraging admonition, but an attack on the 
supposed hereditary and indefeisible prerogatives 
of the children of Abraham. If they were culpa- 
ble for their ignorance and neglect of this freedom, 
how much more so are we! 

Forgetful of the national dependence on a 
foreign power to which they then were, and had 
been so often before, subject ; forgetful, also, that 
as little could they boast of uninterrupted religious 
liberty, the Jews answered Jesus with the words, 
" We be Abraham's seed, and were never in 
bondage to any man ; how sayest thou, Ye shall 
be made free V' — cc Verily, verily, answered Jesus, 
I say unto you, He that committeth sin, is the 
servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the 
house for ever ; but the Son abideth ever. If the 
Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free 
indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed ; 
but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no 
place in you. I speak that which I have seen 
with my Father ; and ye do that which ye have 
seen with your father." They were right in 
supposing that Jesus intended to impute crimi- 
nality both to themselves and to their father ; and 
they repeated the assertion, that " Abraham was 
their father," as if to ask, whether he meant to 
apply such an imputation to him. But if Abraham 
were pure from guilt, it did not follow that they 



Lecture XIV. 



349 



were his children in that respect, and that they 
inherited his integrity. Jesus disproved their 
claim, acquitted Abraham, and advanced his posi- 
tion against them in nearly the same words as 
before. cc If ye were Abraham's children, ye 
would do the works of Abraham. But now ye 
seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, 
which I have heard of God ; this did not Abra- 
ham. Ye do the deeds of your father." They 
had no resemblance to Abraham in that very 
particular, for which he was especially commended ; 
for " Abraham believed in the Lord, and he 
counted it to him for righteousness V But still, 
what could Jesus mean by "their father," if he 
meant not Abraham? Did he mean to accuse 
them of idolatry, termed by the prophets fornica- 
tion, as being a breach of that covenant of God 
with his people, which was described under the 
similitude of a marriage b ? " We be not born of 
fornication ;" they replied ; " We have one Father, 
even God." Still had they not been aware of 
whom Jesus spake. He had to refute another of 
their unauthorized claims. He had to prove to 
them, that idolatry was not the only modification, 
of error. He had to reveal to them the humiliating 



a Gen. xv. 6. 

b 2 Chron. xxi. 11. Jer. iii. 1—14. Ezek. xliii. 7—9. 
Hos. ii. 19, 20 ; iv. 12. 



350 



Lecture XIV. 



truth, which referred their original, in a spiritual 
sense, to another and more ancient progenitor 
than Abraham ; to one, however, who had been 
described in their own Scriptures ; and their 
relation to whom fully accounted for their opposi- 
tion to himself, if he were what he claimed, and 
what he knew himself to be. 

cc Jesus said unto them, If God were your 
Father, ye would love me ; for I proceeded forth, 
and came (am come 1 ) from God; neither came 
I (have I come) of myself, but he sent me. Why 
do ye not understand my speech (i. e. my phrase- 
ology) ? even because ye cannot hear my word 
(i. e. the truths which I declare). Ye are of 
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father 
ye are willing to do. He was a murderer from 
the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because 
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, 
he speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar, and the 
father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye 
belseve me not. Which of you convinceth me of 
sin ? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe 
me ? He that is of God heareth God's words ; ye 
therefore hear them not, because ye are not of 
God." 

a ck tov Oeov e^rj\9ov nut t^Ktc' ovhe yap aV 6/jlo.vtov i\tj\vd<z, 
a'AA' eKetVo? fxe aVe'crTezAe. Atari' Trjv AAAIAN rt]v efxtjv ov 
7ii/ft)0"Ke*re ; on ov $vva<rde dtioveiv tov AOTON tov ifxov. 

v. 42, 43. 



Lecture XIV. 



351 



This is a most important passage. That the 
devil " was a murderer from the beginning, that 
he abode not in the truth, and that he is the 
father of lies/' the very first pages of Revelation 
inform us. God had said, that if man eat of the 
forbidden fruit, "he should surely die." 66 The old 
serpent, which is the devil and Satan/' said, cc Ye 
shall not surely die." The lie was believed. Man 
disobeyed, and the sentence of death was pro- 
nounced. A declaration was at the same time 
made by the Almighty, that ce he would put enmity 
between the seed of the serpent, and the seed of 
the woman." The Jews identified themselves 
with the seed of the serpent, by seeking to kill 
him, cc who told them the truth which he had heard 
of God." They proved themselves to be " children 
of the devil," not only by being thus " willing to 
do the lusts of their father," but by disbelieving 
Jesus, cc because he told them the truth." For 
they were ce of the world;" and he "testified, 
that the world's works were evil," and therefore 
they " hated him, and could not hear his word." 
" If he told them the truth," and that lie did, the 
conscience of every one who has either heard or 
read the words of Jesus must testify, why did they 
not believe him, but £C because they were not of 
God." For " he that is of God will hear his 
words." And if they were of God, they would 
not have hated, but on the contrary have loved 
him, who had by so many proofs evinced that he 



352 



Lecture XIV. 



"proceeded forth, and was sent, and had come 
from God, and not of himself." 

These declarations he fearlessly and confidently 
advanced respecting himself. He feared not that 
they should retort the charge ; for he feared not 
to assert that " he did always those things that 
pleased the Father." Nay, he even anticipated 
and defied their objections in this matter, by the 
challenge, " Which of you convinceth me of sin?" 
Full well, indeed, he knew that they would proceed 
in co-operation with their father. The time was 
at hand, which would be " their hour, and the 
power of darkness in which they would ac- 
complish their murderous purpose, and accomplish 
his death. But it would be "with wicked hands" 
that they would ce crucify and slay him and 
both in his life, and in his death, did both they 
and their father fail to "convict him of sin." 
They could never bring any charge against him, 
excepting as it regarded his supposed violation 
of the sabbath, and his supposed blasphemy, in 
calling himself the Son of God a . Both these he 



a For the defence which our Saviour made, both by argument 
and miracle, against these imputations, see Lecture V. and the 
conclusion of the present Lecture. — The comprehensive character 
of the debate, which is the subject of this Lecture, has rendered 
it necessary to consider the appeal of our Lord to the purity of 
his life and doctrine, only in immediate connexion with the course 
of the discussion. A more general view of both those topics has, 
indeed, been before taken in the latter part of Lecture VI. 



Lecture XIV. 



353 



ever refuted by unanswerable arguments ; and at 
the same time he demonstrated by his miracles, that 
" the Father did not leave him alone/' and, there- 
fore, that always, and in all these things, he did 
" those things that pleased him." Satan had al- 
ready been vanquished in his early attacks upon our 
Lord's faithfulness and integrity ; and when f<r the 
prince of this world came" unto him at the closing 
scene, he ec found nothing in Jesus/' and was him- 
self u cast out." Nay more, their present rivalry 
and opposition would issue in that decisive conflict, 
described in the original prediction of the enmity 
which would subsist between "the Seed of the 
woman, and the seed of the serpent." This was 
he, whose "heel was indeed bruised," but who 
cc bruised the head of the serpent f who thereby 
" destroyed him that had the power of death," and 
obtained that victory, by which the forfeited im- 
mortality was restored, and eternal life procured 
for all that obey him. And Jesus on this very 
same occasion, gave that promise of eternal life, 
which he was so soon to be empowered to per- 
form • thereby predicting the speedy accomplish- 
ment of the original promise, as he also immediately 
afterwards asserted the accomplishment of that 
given to Abraham. 

His opponents contended, that by these im- 
putations he manifested such hostility to the Jews, 
that he might justly be considered as siding with 

Z 



354 



Lecture XIV. 



the enemies of their country and religion, and 
could scarcely be otherwise than infatuated. " They 
answered and said unto him, Say we not well, that 
thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus 
answered, I have not a devil ; but I honour my 
Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek 
not mine own glory ; there is one that seeketh 
and judgeth. Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, If 
i man keep my saying, he shall never see death/' 
Not long before, in his discourse before the San- 
hedrim, he had advanced a similar statement in 
the most confident and solemn manner. 6C Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, 
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting 
life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is 
passed from death unto life a ." He now repeated 
the same declaration in a connexion still more 
striking, and in one which more particularly ex- 
plained its meaning. For a comparison of his 
expressions in the earlier part of this debate, and 
of those immediately preceding the declaration in 
question, will shew, that he claimed, and in the 
strongest manner asserted his possession of the 
power to deliver those, who were the bondslaves 
of sin and Satan, not only from the present domi- 
nion, but also from the future condemnation, of 
sin. But the Jews, staggered still more than ever 
at such a statement, demanded of him, te Art thou 



a John v. 24. 



Lecture XIV. 



355 



greater than our father Abraham, which is dead, 
and the prophets are dead : whom makest thou thy- 
self?" He concluded a defence, similar to that 
which we have just cited b , with the words, "Your 
father Abraham, eagerly desired that he might see 
my day, and he saw r it, and was glad." Whom 
therefore did Jesus profess himself to be, but that 
predicted Seed of Abraham, ct in whom all nations 
of the earth were to be blessed?" For whose 
day but his, could Abraham ever have desired to 
see? And then, doubtless, did he see it, when the 
typical sacrifice of Isaac was offered on mount 
Moriah, and when the substitution of the ram in 
the place of Abraham's son was followed by 
a more particular repetition of the promise. And 
all nations have been blessed by the actual sacrifice 
of him, whom Isaac typified; who, "after he had 
been lifted up, was known to be he," of whom 
" the law and the prophets prophesied," and who 
thenceforth "drew all men to him c /' as the Shiloh 
whom Jacob had predicted. 

b " Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing : 
it is my Father which honoureth me ; of whom ye say, that he is 
your God. Yet ye have not known him : and if I should say, 
I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you ; but I know 
him, and keep his saying. — Your father Abraham eagerly desired 
that he might see my day (tjyaWidcraTo tva 'Ity rtjv tjfxepau rrju 
€fj.rjv) ; and he saw it, and was glad." ver. 54 — 56. 

c See Gen. xlix. 10. " To him shall the gathering of the people 
be/ E. T. 'Ovk inAei\p-ei apywv e£ 'Iou'Sa — etos edv e\6r] rd 
anoKelfxeva ai/Var k<x\ avro<? irpoa^oKia edvwv. Septuagint. 



356 



Lecture XIV. 



But the Jews misunderstanding or perverting 
what Jesus had said, asked him, not whether 
Abraham had really te seen his day'' but whether 
" he } not being yet fifty years old, had seen Abra- 
ham/' Jesus did not shrink even from meeting 
this new state of the question, which demanded 
an answer respecting his pre-existence. He 
unequivocally answered " Before Abraham was, 
I am." 

On many other occasions had Jesus virtually 
affirmed the same position. His divinity, if he 
did really and justly claim it, certainly implied his 
pre-existence. And he frequently used language 
from which the Jews inferred, that he made 
himself ic equal with God/' nor did he disavow 
the claim. When the Pharisees asked, eC Who 
can forgive sins, but God alone?" he cured the 
paralytic, for the express purpose of proving that 
Ci the Son of man had pozoer on earth to forgive 
siws a ." He spoke of the Son of man cc ascending 
up where he was before/' to prove that he said 
truly, tc I came down from heaven b ." He ap- 
pealed to prophecy to prove that he, who was 
David's Son, was also David's Lord c . He ap- 
pealed, on another occasion, both to the Scriptures 
of the Old Testament as justifying, and to his 



a Matt. ix. 6". ' Mark n. 10. Luke v. 24. 

b John vi. 42, 61, 6*2. c Matt, x.xii. 42—4:5. 



Lecture XIV. 



357 



own works as proving, his claim to divinity. <f Is 
it not written in your law., I said, Ye are gods 1 
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God 
came, and the Scripture cannot be broken ; say 
ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and 
sent into the world. Thou blasphemest, because 
I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the 
works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, 
though ye believe not me, believe the works, that 
ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, 
and I in him d ." He again appealed to his works 
in proof of the assertion that he ought to be be- 
lieved in such declarations, when he said to Philip, 
ce He, that hath seen me, hath seen the Father ; 
and how sayest thou, Shew us the Father ? Be- 
lievest thou not that I am in the Father, and the 
Father in me? The words that I speak to you, 
I speak not of myself, but the Father, that dwelleth 
in me, he doeth the works. Believe me, that 
/ am in the Father, and the Father in me; or 
else believe me for the very works sake e ." 

Thus does it appear, that Jesus supported by 
the most cogent argumentation, and by diversified 
evidence, every claim which he advanced. This 
very circumstance itself, that he thus founded his 
religion on argument, the truth also and the purity 
of his doctrine, the unimpeachable purity and 



d John x. 29—39. 



e Ibid. xiv. 6—11. 



358 



Lfxture XIV. 



disinterestedness of his own life, the accomplish- 
ment of every type and prophecy in the events 
and purposes of his mission, and the many and 
various attestations of a miraculous nature which 
evinced its divine authority, — all these considera- 
tions may justly demand "the obedience of our 
faith/' And having now considered at length this 
debate of our Lord with the Jews, let me briefly 
direct your attention to the circumstances under 
which it was concluded. 

Jesus delivered himself by a miracle from the 
effects of that indignation, which the assertion of 
his pre-existence had excited. " They took up 
stones to cast at him ; but he was concealed from 
them, and went out of the temple, going through 
the midst of them, and so passed by\" — But 
remark also what followed. — "As Jesus passed by, 
he saw a man which was blind from his birth V 
He restored to him his sight ; and the severest 
scrutiny of the perplexed rulers, only proved the 
reality of the miracle, and that it had been wrought 
by Jesus. Shall we then consent to the declara- 
tion, of the Pharisees, that "we know not whence 
Jesus is?" Rather let every such thought give 
way to the force of that rational expostulation of 
the man, on whom this signal miracle was wrought. 
te Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know 



a John viii. 59. — 'Ij/o-ous he eKpvfly), kou, &c. 



b Ibid.ix. 1. 



Lecture XIV. 



359 



not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened my 
eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sin- 
ners ; but if any man be a worshipper of God, 
and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the 
world began, was it not heard that any man opened 
the eyes of one born blind. If this man were not 
of God, he could do nothing^." When Jesus 
declared to this candid, and reflecting man, that 
he was the Son of God, he answered, cc Lord, 
I believe," and worshipped hirn e . Jesus also de- 
clared, at the commencement of the debate which 
we have been reviewing, that he is "the light of 
the world." And he avowedly wrought this very 
miracle to demonstrate the truth of that assertion. 
For, immediately before he wrought it, he assigned 
to his disciples his reason for so doing. (C I must 
work the works of him that sent me, while it is 
day ; the night cometh, when no man can work. 
As long as I am in the world, J am the light of the 
world*." — We may know then the blessedness to 
which we are invited; for Jesus himself declared, 
"he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, 
but shall have the light of life = ." Bat hear also 
the condemnation of those, who persist in unbelief; 
for this also our Lord declared after the miracle. 
"For judgment am I come into this world, that 



d John ix. 30—33. e Ibid. 35—38. ' Ibid. \, 5. 

s Ibid. viii. 12. 



360 



Lecture XIV. 



they which see not might see, and that they which 
see might be made blind V 

Sensible, then, of our necessities, and touched 
with gratitude to him, who hath visited, enlight- 
ened, and redeemed us, let us " walk in the light 
of the Lord ;" let us not shrink and retire from it, 
even though it discovers to us our sinfulness and 
guilt, our responsibility and danger. Let us not 
disbelieve Jesus " because he tells us the truth." 
When it is demanded of us, Dost thou believe 
in the Son of God V we can now have no plea to 
offer in excuse for that ignorance, which would 
lead us to say, as the man who was cured of his 
blindness said, " Lord, who is he, that I might 
believe on him V! Let us then answer with him, 
" Lord, I believe." — He worshipped Jesus. And we 
must also cc honour the Son even as we honour the 
Father/' — Jesus hath also declared that ec whoso 
keepeth his saying, shall never see death, but 
shall have the light of life." He has f e - visited us, 
as the day-spring from on high, to guide our feet 
into the way of peace/' And oh! that "the 
things, which belong to our peace, may never be 
hid from our eyes;" that Cf the God of this world, 
who blindeth the minds of them that believe not, 
may not prevent the light of the glorious Gospel of 
Christ, who is the image of God, from shining 



a John ix. 39. 



Lecture XIV. 



361 



unto us." Such alas ! has been, and is, and may 
again be the case with many. Many of those, who 
saw this signal miracle, scrutinized it, perceived its 
reality, and yet disregarded its force and intention. 
And even now cc ihe true light, which cometh into 
the world to enlighten every man, shineth in the 
world's darkness," and even enters into the dark 
chambers of our own souls, and yet we see it not, 
we comprehend it not, we are not guided by it. 
Yet ff our light has come, and the glory of the 
Lord has risen upon us." Let us then ce arise," 
and, ee though we were sometime darkness, let us 
be light in the Lord ;" and cc let our light shine 
before men, to the glory of our heavenly Father, 
by our good works which they shall behold." For 
dreadful and hopeless is the state of those, " who 
say they see, and whose sin therefore remaineth;" 
" who love darkness rather than light, because their 
deeds are evil." May, therefore, that M God, which 
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shine 
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge 
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; 
so that we may be changed into the same image 
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the 
Lord." 



LECTURE XV. 



our lord's STATEMENT THAT THE FULFILMENT 
OF HIS OWN PREDICTIONS WOULD EVINCE HIS 
MESSIAHSHIP. THE MANN ER IN WHICH HE DIS- 
PLAYED AND NOTICED HIS UNLIMITED KNOW- 
LEDGE OF MEN AND THINGS. 



St. John XIII. 18, 19. 

I know whom I have chosen : but that the Scripture may 
be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, hath lifted 
up his heel against me. Nozv I tell you before it 
come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe 
that I am He. 

It was asserted by our Lord of John the Baptist, 
that iC there had not arisen a greater prophet than 
he nay that he was cc even more than a prophet/' 
And the reason which he assigned for such an as- 
sertion was this, that John was the very " messen- 
ger of whom it was written, that he should be sent 
to prepare the way of the Lord." ff He came for 
a witness" to that dignified Person to whom all the 
prophets had referred ; and his predictions were, in 
many respects, more minute and particular than 
those of his predecessors. (e He came for a wit- 



Lecture XV. 363 

ness/ 5 not by his verbal annunciations alone, but 
by his personal, and therefore more definite testi- 
mony to him c: whom God had sent/' 

Now in all these particulars Jesus as far sur- 
passed his forerunner, as the immediate forerunner 
did the remoter prophets. Jesus was the very per- 
sonage, to whom all these, " at sundry times and 
in divers manners/' gave their inspired testimony; 
and in and by whom their predictions were to have 
their accomplishment. He carried forward the 
scheme of prophecy still further ; describing in 
more precise and even in literal terms the great 
events w 7 hich were approaching. He applied the 
language of preceding prophets to those events, 
so as to decide beforehand the true interpretation 
of their predictions. And he included, at the 
same time, such a distinct mention of additional 
particulars, as proved that futurity was much 
more extensively open to his view r . Nay further, 
the events predicted were such in themselves, 
and so circumstanced, and Jesus also manifested 
such a familiar acquaintance with them, as an 
original prophet, that his Messiahship is as fully 
proved from hence as his divine Mission. And 
this his extensive prescience is also in another way 
illustrated and proved, by the knowledge which he 
ever displayed of past and present things, as well 
as of futurity by his knowledge of the characters, 
surmises, and intentions of all with whom he was 



364 Lecture XV. 

concerned ; a knowledge, such as nothing less than 
omniscience could have communicated to him. 

These considerations are pointed out to us by 
our Lord himself in the words of our text, with 
which he prefaced and prepared his distinct inti- 
mation of the treachery of Judas. He asserted 
his acquaintance with the characters of his disci- 
ples, although not as yet displayed by their con- 
duct. When he spoke these words he was about 
to prove that cc he knew whom he had chosen/' 
by declaring beforehand not only the treachery of 
Judas, but the denial of Peter, and the cowardly 
desertion of all of them in that hour of danger, 
which, though by them not foreseen, was near at 
hand. He cited the Scripture, which declared the 
hostile conduct of one cc that eat bread with him/' 
that he might expressly apply it to one of those 
individuals, who then sat with him at the table. 
And he explained the design with which he pre- 
dicted this to them, in a declaration, similar to 
which he made many others. cc Now I tell you 
before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye 
may believe that I am he." — It will be our en- 
deavour to remind you of some of the instances of 
this wondrous prescience of Jesus, in order that 
we may shew how it bears upon the question of 
the divine mission and Messiahship of Jesus; and 
that you may thus duly apprehend the force of 
those arguments, which our Lord has derived from 



Lecture XV. 



365 



the accuracy with which he both spoke of things 
to come, and discerned the spirits of men. 

The predictions of Jesus extend even to the ge- 
neral resurrection^ and to the consummation of all 
things. If we believe that he was what he claimed 
to be, we may confidently expect that all these 
predictions will be fulfilled in their season, although 
the season for the accomplishment of some of them 
is yet distant, and others are but imperfectly ful- 
filled. They are all such as it became the pro- 
mised Messiah to deliver ; they are all such as it 
appertains to him to accomplish. And our con- 
viction of his power and authority will indeed rest 
on the most solid basis, if to every other demon- 
stration of it, we can also establish the prescience 
of Jesus, by shewing the fulfilment of his numerous 
predictions. We must for this purpose consider 
those which have received their accomplishment. 

I. Let us first consider such as were not ac- 
complished until after the Evangelists published 
a record of them in their Gospels. Such was the 
frequently repeated prediction of the calamities 
which were coming upon the Jews, and of the 
overthrow of their temple, and city, and nation. 
Jesus at one time gave only a general intimation 
of the sad event, or couched it under an illustrative 
parable\ In other instances he concisely noticed 



a Matt. viii. 12. Luke xiii. 6", 35 ; xix. and x. 



366 



Lecture XV. 



the fact, and a few of its circumstances ; as in his 
addresses to the Pharisees*, and in the pathetic 
lamentation over Jerusalem when he beheld it 
from the mount of Olives b . And when the women 
who stood round the cross wept for him, who had 
so lately wept for their country, he repeated some 
of the alarming intimations with the expressive 
exhortation, " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not 
for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your 
children 0 /' On each of these several occasions 
he distinctly pointed at the same event, but scarcely 
ever in the same form, and always with an allusion 
to some different circumstances. But in the 
longest of all his predictions, delivered to his 
disciples in private, he described the circumstances 
which would precede, attend, and follow that 
signally calamitous event, with a wonderful but 
awful precision. Yet " that generation did not 
pass, till all was fulfilled and the fullest con- 
firmation was given to the declaration of Jesus, 
which he connected with these predictions, 
cc Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my 
words shall not pass awayV 

It was also declared by Jesus, that his Gospel 
should first be extensively preached throughout 



a Luke xvii. 20. Matt, xxiii. 

c Ibid, xxiii. 28 — 31. 

d Matt. xxiv. 35. Mark xiii. 3 1 . 



b Luke xix. 43. 
Luke xxi. 33. 



Lecture XV 



367 



the Roman empire ; that the cc kingdom of God, 
which should be taken from the Jews, would be 
given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof;" 
that he must bring together " into one fold, and 
under one Shepherd/' sheep of " other folds 
and that cc many would come from the east, and 
from the west, and sit down with Abraham and 
Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God, while the 
children of the kingdom were cast out e ." Hereby 
he announced the accomplishment, in a manner 
which the Jews were not prepared to expect, of 
the divine promise given to Jacob at Bethel. 
cc I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and 
the God of Jacob; the land whereon thou liest, 
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy 
seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou 
shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, 
and to the north, and to the south ; and in thee 
and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth 
be blessed f ." 

That the commission given by Jesus to " teach 
all nations'' will one day be effectual, and that 
(C the Gospel will be preached in the whole world/' 
and " the fulness of the Gentiles come in," we 
retain the assured and consolatory hope. But as 



e Matt. xxiv. 14; xxi. 41—43. John x. l6. Matt. viii. 11. 
Luke xiii. 29' 

f Gen. xxviii. 13, 14. 



368 



Lecture XV. 



we see not as yet " obedience to the faith among 
all nations/' so, in this very circumstance, do we 
recognize the prescience of Jesus, reaching* to 
every age of that Church, of which he has declared, 
that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against 
it\" For he also announced to his disciples, that 
iC the Jews would fall by the edge of the sword, 
and be led away captive into all nations ; and that 
Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles, 
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled 5 . " This 
prophecy has continued to receive its accomplish- 
ment for nearly two thousand years. The Jews 
who were then carried captive, have ever since 
remained, and still do remain, in the same dis- 
persed, despised, and often persecuted condition. 
Jerusalem is still trodden down of the Gentiles; 
because the time of the Gentiles is not yet ful- 
filled. Yet has the Gospel of Jesus, though 
rejected by the Jews, and though opposed by 
Gentiles, not been arrested in its progress. Those 
who first promulgated it, did endure the various 
sufferings, and met with the unbelief and 
hatred, of which their Master forewarned them 0 . 
But, through their labours and writings, the 
Gospel, like the " leaven hid in three measures 
of meal," to which Jesus compared it, has ever 



1 Matt. xvi. 18. b Luke xxi. 24. 

c Matt. x. 17, 18; xxiii. 34 ; xxiv. 9. John xv. 20 ; xvi. 2. 



Lecture XV. 



369 



since continued and extended its beneficent in- 
fluence in the worlds and we doubt not will finally 
leaven the whole. Already has the <e grain of 
mustard-seed'' sown in Judea, become a tree, and 
many nations have reposed under its shadow, and 
nestled among- its branches' 3 . 

These prophecies, and their accomplishment, 
are of themselves sufficient to establish the pro- 
phetic character of Jesus, had he delivered no 
other. Their fulfilment had not begun in his 
own life-time, and some of the most important 
were not fulfilled until after the death of all those 
who have transmitted them to us e . Yet their 
correctness is proved both by the history of past 
ages, and by the present state of the Christian 
Church, of the Jews, and of the world. It is, 
however, obvious, that the accomplishment of 
these had no share in producing that faith in 
Jesus as the Messiah, and that patience and tran- 
quillity in the midst of sufferings, which the Apostles 
did undoubtedly derive from some prophecies of 
their Master ; and the production of both which 
results he expressly assigned as his motive for the 
delivery of them, as we shall hereafter shew. But 
the notice of these may have prepared us with 



d Matt. xiii. 

e St. John, who survived the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
probably wrote after it, has not mentioned the prophecy respect- 
ing that event, which the earlier writers so carefully recorded. 

A A 



370 



Lecture XV. 



fuller confidence to proceed to the consideration of 
others, the accomplishment as well as the delivery 
of which we learn from the New Testament, and 
some of which more directly tend to prove the 
divine mission of Jesus as the Messiah. 

II. Some predictions of a detached character 
which Jesus delivered, received an almost imme- 
diate accomplishment. — Such was the declaration 
to his disciples, a few days before the raising of 
Lazarus. cc Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but 
I go that I may awake him out of sleep/' Soon 
after cc he said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, 
to the intent ye may believe/' To Martha also 
Jesus said, when he first met her, " Thy brother 
shall rise again and again at the grave, when he 
had ordered the stone to be removed, and she 
began to expostulate with him, cc Said I not unto 
thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest 
see the glory of God?" The event itself also was 
preceded by an address to the Father, with the 
avowed design that they might see that it was 
done with his approbation and by his power, and 
that thus cc they might believe that the Father had 
sent him." And doubtless that conviction would 
be much strengthened by the circumstance, that he 
in this manner foretold it 3 . — A similar effect would 



a John xi. 



Lecture XV. 



371 



also be produced, in a more lively and impressive 
manner than we can conceive, when the disciples,, 
who had been directed to go into the adjoining 
village, found, as Jesus had told them, ci the ass 
tied, and the colt with her, and when the owners 
upon being told that the Lord had need of them, 
straightway sent them to him." " His disciples 
understood not at first" the meaning of his entry 
into Jerusalem in that manner ;" but when Jesus 
was glorified, then remembered they that these 
things were written of him, and that they had 
done these things unto him." Here also the con- 
viction produced by the recollection of Zechariah's 
prophecy, would strikingly recal to their minds 
how the display of the prophetic character of 
Jesus himself preceded the fulfilment of Zecha- 
riah's prediction ; and that it related, though in 
a manner wholly distinct, to a circumstance speci- 
fied by that prophet b . — Similar remarks might 
be made on the foreknowledge which Jesus again 
exercised, when he directed the disciples where to 
find a place for the celebration of that passover. 
They found as he had said, and made ready for 
that last passover, at which he delivered his fare- 
well discourses, and his intercessory prayer, so full 
of promise and important prophecy ; at which 
also he instituted the perpetual memorial of his 



b Matt. xxi. Mark xi. Luke xix. John xii. 



872 



Lecture XV. 



approaching death ; and immediately after which^ 
that death, and all the other transactions which he 
had predicted, were hastened and accomplished \ — 
Thus do our Lord's own predictions, even in these 
detached instances, shed a lustre to the attestation 
of his own miracles and of ancient prophecy ; and 
some of them even strengthen the conviction pro- 
duced by others. 

But it is time to notice his predictions of those 
important events, by which his own ministry was 
terminated, by which the great object of his mission 
and office was evinced, and which fully opened 
the way for the display of its full evidence, and 
for the erection, establishment, and perpetuity of 
his Church. Some of these things, in a less 
explicit and precise manner, were foretold to the 
people in general ; but all of them in the most 
plain and circumstantial manner to those whom 
he had chosen. 

It will suffice briefly to remind you of some of 
the principal predictions of this nature, which 
were delivered to . the people in general. — They 
are concise and figurative, yet fully explained by 
the events which correspond to them. The 
earliest of them was one which referred to his 
death and resurrection ; and the remembrance of 
it by the disciples of Jesus, had an important influ- 



a Matt. xxvi. 17, &c. John xiii. 1 7. 



Lecture XV. 



373 



ence in inducing- them to " believe, not only in the 
Scripture prophecy, but also in the word which 
Jesus had said." A sign being demanded from 
him as the proof of his authority, He answered, 
" Destroy ye this temple, and in three days I will 
raise it up ; speaking of the temple of his body b ." — 
To Nicodemus, and to his hearers on two other 
occasions, he spoke of the " lifting up of the Son of 
man of the fact and design of his death, under 
the phrase that he would (C give his flesh for the life 
of the world and of the consequences of it in 
"drawing all men to him/' and of causing much 
success to attend his mission 0 . He several times 
promised that " the sign of Jonah the prophet 
would be given to that generation and that "as 
he was three days and three nights in the belly 
of the whale, so the Son of man would be three 
days and three nights in the heart of the earth d ." 
— In consequence of these, and perhaps of other 
still more definite predictions, the chief priests 
came to Pilate, to request that he would <e com- 
mand that the sepulchre be made sure until the 
third day because^ said they, "we remember 
that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, 
After three days 1 will rise again 6 ." Yet all these 



b John ii. 19. 

c Ibid. iii. 14 ; viii. 28 ; xii. 32 ; vi. 51 ; xii. 24. 
d Matt. xii. 39, 40 ; xvi. 4. Luke xi. 29, 30. 
e Matt, xxvii. 62, &c. 



374 



Lecture XV. 



things were,, notwithstanding, accomplished. It 
was even by their own " counsel and deed/' that, 
Jesus, as he had predicted, was "cast out of the 
vineyard, and slain by the wicked husbandmen. " 
And it was by their endeavour to prevent the 
accomplishment of his predicced resurrection, that 
the evidence of that event was strengthened by 
one of its most convincing proofs. And equally 
did it come to pass, that "the Son of man/' as he 
had also predicted, "was seen to ascend up where 
he was before a ." In the people of that genera- 
tion also was accomplished the parable of "the 
unclean spirit who returned, and made the last 
state of that man worse than the first ; and Jesus 
had declared that so it would be to that wicked 
generation 1 "" "The stone, which they rejected, 
became the head of the corner 0 ;" "false Christs 
and false prophets deceived many d "they sought 
the true Messiah in vain, and died in their sins 6 
and by the subversion of their whole polity was it 
brought to pass, that " neither at Gerizim, 
nor at Jerusalem alone, was the Father wor- 
shipped^" For our Lord had hinted to the Jews 
at Nazareth, that as it had pleased God, in the 
time of their fathers, to send Elijah to relieve 
a woman of Sidon, and to enable Elisha to heal 



a John vi. 62. b Matt. xii. 43—45. c Matt. xxi. 42. 

d Matt. xxiv. 24. e John viii. 21. f John iv. 21. 



Lecture XV. 



375 



Naaman the Syrian leper, while the iC many 
widows and lepers, that were then in Israel" were 
not benefited, so, in their ow r n age, he would send 
the Apostles to <c bring" many from the east, and 
from the west/' to partake of the privileges of that 
kingdom, of which they thought themselves ex- 
clusively the children s . 

These thing's which Jesus himself predicted 
respecting* ff the Christ crucified/' were as un- 
welcome to the twelve disciples, as they w r ere to 
their fellow-countrymen. But they were dis- 
ciplined by their Master, " as they were able to 
bear it/' so that they were not ultimately cc of- 
fended in him." And no means did our Lord 
more studiously employ to secure an object, so 
necessary for evangelizing the world, than by de- 
tailing to them, during the time that he remained 
with them, all the leading particulars of those 
distressing transactions by which he would be 
removed from them ; as well as that astonishing 
change from death to life, from humiliation to 
glory, from apparent weakness to divine power, 
which shew r ed that though he had first suffered 
many things, yet hereby "was the Son of man 
glorified, and God was glorified in himV* And 
the series of prophecies which Jesus delivered on 
these subjects, is so perspicuous and comprehen- 



' Luke hi. Matt. viii. 11, 1C. 



h John xiii. 31. 



376 



Lecture XV. 



sive, that we may well conceive with what com- 
plete satisfaction the disciples in due season called 
to mind the words of our text, and several other 
similar declarations with which Jesus accompanied 
these predictions ; cc Now I tell you before it come, 
that when it is come to pass ye may believe that 
I am he." 

No sooner had the disciples avowed to Jesus 
their joyful and assured confidence that he was 
"the Christ, the Son of God/' than he began to 
prepare them for the knowledge of these events 
by the declaration, "Have not I chosen you 
twelve, and one of you is a devil a (a false ac- 
cuser) V' And f c he began from that time to shew 
unto his disciples that he must go unto Jerusalem, 
and that the Son of man would be betrayed unto 
the chief priests and unto the Scribes, and that 
they would condemn him to death, and deliver him 
to the Gentiles, to mock, and to scourge, and to 
crucify him. And that the third day he would 
rise again b ." And, repeating these things, he 
solemnly prefaced his declaration by saying, " Let 
these sayings sink down into your ears 0 ." These 
particulars are for the most part specified by the 
ancient prophets. But the circumstance that he 
should be " delivered to the Gentiles,'" was a pre- 
diction wholly original, and upon the completion 



A .John vi. 70. b Matt. xvi. 21 ; xx. 18, 19. c Luke ix. 44. 



Lecture XV. 



377 



of it depended^ both the peculiar indignities which 
were to precede his crucifixion, and even that 
mode of execution itself. In one of his earlier 
predictions of the overthrow of Jerusalem, he 
noticed the previous occurrence of his own suf- 
ferings. " But first, said he, must the Son of man 
suffer many things, and be rejected of this gene- 
ration V And "when Jesus knew that the hour 
was come that he should depart, out of this world 
unto the Father," he rendered his predictions still 
more demonstrative of his perfect and familiar 
knowledge of all things that were coming upon 
him, by specifying the very day of crucifixion. 
" Ye know/' said he to his disciples, fC that after 
two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son 
of man is betrayed to be crucified V Yet even 
after this prediction was delivered, the chief priests 
and Scribes came to a resolution, that it would not 
be prudent even "to take him by subtilty, and to 
kill him, on the feast day, lest there should be an 
uproar of the people.'' They abandoned the 
design ; and they would not have resumed it, had 
not the very circumstance which Jesus himself 
previously mentioned, induced them to do so. 
■'The Son of man was betrayed unto them; for 
they accepted the offer which Judas made cc to 
deliver him unto them in the absence of the multi- 



d Luke xvii. 25. r Matt. xxvi. 2. 



378 



Lecture XV. 



tilde 2 ." Thus had Jesus twice predicted the 
treachery of Judas before he had, as it appears, 
even conceived the design. And a third time, 
when, humanly speaking, it seemed incredible, 
that any steps would be taken in the matter, he 
declared still more particularly^ in the words of 
our text, his perfect knowledge of the respective 
characters, of those whom he had chosen. He 
was aware that one of them was then harbouring 
the design of betraying him, and that the Scripture 
would in that very way be fulfilled ; because it 
had described one so circumstanced, as they all 
then were, one cc who eat bread with him/* as 
the faithless one who would " lift up his heel against 
him." Afterwards, in a very remarkable manner, 
he pointed out to them the very individual ; and 
shewed to him, though the others misunderstood 
his words, that he was well acquainted with his 
purpose. • 
Judas, '' having received the sop, went imme- 
diately out/' to " do quickly" that which he had 
designed and covenanted to do. iC It was night ;■' 
and he therefore went to repair to " the garden, 
whither, as he knew, Jesus oft times resorted with 
his disciples." Jesus knew that the transactions, 
which he had so often predicted, would now im- 
mediately take place. He therefore solemnly 



a Matt. xxvi. 14 — J 6. 



Lecture XV. 



379 



declared to the remaining eleven the importance 
of the crisis at which they had arrived; and 
during the short time that intervened, he endea- 
voured to prepare them for the approaching cir- 
cumstances, and reminded them of some of his 
public intimations respecting them. cc Now is 
the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in 
him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also 
glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify 
him. Little children, yet a little while I am with 
you. Ye shall seek me ; and, as I said unto the 
Jews, whither I go ye cannot comeV 5 He pre- 
dicted the fears and desertion of all them that 
very night, and especially the actual denial of any 
knowledge of him by St. Peter. These events 
were not merely contingent upon circumstances 
which had occurred very suddenly, and which were 
as yet unknown to them, but they appeared in 
every respect very improbable at that time. For 
both Peter, and all of them, made the most solemn 
protestations of inviolable fidelity, even if any 
danger occurred. Little, indeed, had they been 
willing to understand his former intimations to 
the same effect. And they were quite incapable 
of so far receiving them, as to remain faithful to 
him, and to acquiesce in this sudden disappoint- 
ment of their darling hopes. Yet their Master 



b John xiii. 30, &c. 



380 



Lecture XV. 



proceeded in such a manner to instruct and to 
pray for them, and to foretel the things that were 
approaching, and the glory that should follow, as 
might afterwards, at least, from their recollection 
of his words, lead them to a right view of the design 
of these transactions, and of his own character, and 
induce them still more confidently than ever to 
believe in him, "because of whom they were all 
offended in that calamitous night." When he 
foretold, in the earlier part of that evening, the 
treachery of Judas, he assigned that reason for 
his forewarning them of it; and he now con- 
joined with it a present proof of that his unlimited 
knowledge, which he had often before displayed, 
and which caused them now to feel, still more 
strongly than ever, a conviction of his divine 
mission, and very earnestly to declare it. 

He had been interrupted in his discourse by 
the protestations of Peter and his companions ; 
and, doubtless, his distinct declaration^ that they 
would not act suitably to their late protestations, 
would perplex and distress them. But he wished 
to console, to exhort, and to inform, as well as to 
caution them\ " Let not your heart be troubled; 
ye believe in God, believe also in me. I go to 
prepare a place for you." He reminded them of 
the evidence of his miracles in order to assure 



a See John xiv. &c. 



Lecture XV. 



381 



them of the truth of these various and mysterious 
statements. He predicted the " greater works which 
would be done by those that believed on him ; 
because," said he, " I go unto the Father." But he 
proceeded to predict the gift of " another Com- 
forter to abide with them for ever/' after his 
departure, cc even the Spirit of truth by whom, 
after the suspension of their faith, they would 
be finally convinced that " he was in the Father, 
and the Father in him who would " teach them 
all things, and bring all things to their remem- 
brance, whatsoever he had said unto them." 
Having exhorted them to tranquillity, conjured 
them not to be afraid, and assured them that his 
return to the Father was a fitter cause for joy 
than regret, he repeated his declaration, that " he 
told them these things before they came to pass, 
that, when they had come to pass, they might 
believe." 

He then exhorted them to persevere in their 
obedience ; and proceeded also to foretel their 
own sufferings, and, repeating the promise of the 
Comforter, declared that " he would testify of him ; 
and that they also would testify of him, because 
they had been with him from the beginning.'" 
Fully to state how the Comforter, by miracles, 
and knowledge, and the gift of tongues, — and the 
Apostles, by their testimony and miracles, by 
their conduct and sufferings, by their reasonings 



Lecture XV 



and success, testified of Jesus, would be to review 
the whole history of the Acts of the Apostles. 

Lastly, as an immediate assurance of the truth 
of what he said, Jesus convinced them of his 
knowledge of their own thoughts, and doubts, 
and surmises, and availed himself of their con- 
viction of this to repeat his prediction of future 
things, and also the reason why he thus foretold 
them. He knew that although he had so repeat- 
edly and plainly predicted his removal from the 
world, and his glorification with the Father, they 
did not understand, what he meant by the state- 
ment, ic A little while, and ye shall not see me ; 
and again a little while, and ye shall see me, 
because I go to the Father/' He knew that they 
were inquiring among themselves respecting it, 
that they decided that " they could not tell what 
he said," and that " they were desirous to ask 
him." He explained it unasked, telling them that 
he was aware of the difficulties which they had 
felt. And they exclaimed, as soon as he had con- 
cluded, f< now are we sure that thou knowest all 
things, and needest not that any man should ask 
thee ; by this we believe that thou earnest forth 
from God. — Jesus answered them, Do ye now 
believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now 
come, that ye shall be scattered, every one to his 
own, and ye shall leave me alone, and yet I am 
not alone, because the Father is with me. These 



Lecture XV. 



things have I spoken to you, that in me ye might 
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribu- 
lation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome 
the world/' 

Here let us pause. We have reviewed a vast 
number of predictions, which were uttered by the 
mouth of Jesus, and all of which we know to have 
been accurately fulfilled. By that fulfilment it is 
clearly proved to us that he was sent of God, and 
an original Prophet ; and we may therefore justly 
believe all his other communications. But we 
have somewhat more than this evinced to us. We 
see that he possessed such a familiarity with all 
the detail of the events which he predicted, as 
shews that he was far superior to all preceding- 
prophets ; for they seem to have had but a very 
imperfect knowledge of the meaning of what 
they were commissioned and inspired to deliver. 

When the Spirit- — that was in them testified 
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory 
that should follow, they inquired and searched 
diligently what or what manner of time was sig- 
nified." Now it was iC the Spirit of Christ that 
was in them*/' and we believe that Jesus was the* 
Christ ; for we have seen that he knew fully both 
the time, and the manner, and the object of all these 
transactions. He foretold them, and they were 



1 1 Pet. i. 10—12. 



384 



Lecture XV. 



accurately accomplished. He foretold them, and in 
him they were accomplished. He foretold them, 
and they were the very things, which, at the same 
time that they fulfilled his predictions, fulfilled all 
those of the ancient prophets respecting the suf- 
ferings, and death, and resurrection of the Christ, 
and respecting the nature and establishment of 
his kingdom. He, therefore, who foretold events 
of such a nature, and having such consequences ; 
who so foretold them, as to prove that he was 
acquainted with the whole scheme of the divine 
counsels, and that the arrangement of the means 
and events by which they were accomplished, was 
known to him in such a manner as cannot be 
conceived of any other than of him, ^ between 
whom and the Father was the counsel of peace," 
—he, I say, could himself be no other than " the 
Messiah, who was (C to be cut off, but not for him- 
self," and who became <c the Author of eternal 
salvation to all them that obey him." We may 
therefore ourselves derive from these predictions, 
a conviction such as the Apostles themselves at- 
tained thereby, in conformity to our Lord's own 
declaration. " Now I tell you before it come, 
that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that 
1 am he." When all these things had taken 
place, Jesus enforced the argument, and to the 
full establishment of their faith. " These are the 
words which 1 spake unto you, while I was yet 



Lecture XV. 



385 



with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which 
were written in the law of Moses, and in the pro- 
phets, and in the Psalms, concerning me." They 
had then seen, and they believed ; and, through 
their word, we also may believe in Jesus as the 
Christ of God. 

Since, then, the foreknowledge and the Mes- 
siahship of Jesus are so demonstrable, we may 
expect that all his other predictions will be fulfilled 
in their season. Those, of which the accomplish- 
ment is yet future, may exercise our confidence in 
the perpetuity of his Church. We may believe 
that ' f the gates of hell will not prevail against it V 
We may in hope expect the day when " the times 
of the Gentiles will be fulfilled V when " the 
Gospel will be preached to every creature C / J 
when cc all men will be drawn " to the standard 
of him, who was cc lifted up that whosoever be- 
lieveth in him should not perish, but have ever- 
lasting life V We may pray that ec his kingdom 
may come 6 ." And ere long also, cc all that are in 
the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of 
man, and shall come forth, they that have done 
good to the resurrection of life, and they that have 
done evil to the resurrection of damnation f ." The 
Son of man will then cc come in the glory of his 



a Matt. xvi. 18. b Luke xxi. 24. 
d John iii. 14 ; xii. 32. 
£ John v. 28, 29. 

B B 



c Mark xvi. 15. 
e Matt. vi. 10. 



386 



Lecture XV, 



Father, with his holy angels \" Then shall we 
indeed know that he is the Christ, the Holy one 
of God, the Saviour. May we now so believe in 
him, as not to be confounded before him at that 
day ; that we may not then be cs denied by him 
before the angels of God\" But rather let us 
now so cc believe in God, and also believe in him," 
that we may now partake of the consolation, and 
hereafter share in the accomplishment of those 
delightful and animating words: "In my Father's 
house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I 
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for 
you. And if 1 go to prepare a place for you, 
I will come again and receive you unto myself, 
that where I am, there ye may be also 0 ." 



* Matt. xvi. 27. b Luke xife 9. c John xiv. 1—3. 



LECTURE 



XVI 



THE REMARKABLE SAYINGS OF OUR LORD AT THE 
TIME OF HIS APPREHENSION, ON HIS TRIAL, AND 
ON THE CROSS, CONSIDERED. HIS INSTITUTION 
OF THE SACRAMENT IN COMMEMORATION OF HIS 
DEATH. 



St. John XVIII. 36, 3;. 

Jesus answered. My kingdom is not of this zoorld ; if my 
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants 
fight, that I should not he delivered to the Jews : but 
now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore 
said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, 
Thou say est that I am a king. To this end was I 
horn, and for this cause came I into the world, that 
I might bear witness unto the truth. Every one that 
is of the truth heareth my voice. 

When the Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to 
cc fight the good fight of faith, and to lay hold on 
eternal life/' he gave him charge to keep this 
commandment " in the sight of God, who quick- 
eneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who 
before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good con- 
fession*." That confession, in part at least, you 



* 1 Tim. vi. 12—14. 
BE 2 



388 



Lecture XVI. 



have heard in the words of our text. If, however^ 
we agree with those, who so understand the 
words of the Apostle, as to suppose that he spoke 
of " the good confession which Jesus witnessed 
in the days of Pontius Pilate a ," we shall then 
conceive that the Apostle also referred to an 
equivalent confession which he had then just 
made before the high priest; and we shall also 
be reminded of the short but expressive decla- 
rations previously made, at the time of his appre- 
hension, and afterwards during his crucifixion. 
We propose, in this Lecture, to take a cursory 
review of this series of our Lord's sayings ; for 
in various respects they strikingly exhibit to us 
the character and office of Jesus, and they will 
also sug'gest many considerations respecting the 
evidences of his divine mission and Messiahship, 
different, perhaps., from any upon which we have 
yet touched. 

In the conclusion of our last Lecture, we 
noticed the farewell discourses of our Lord to 
his disciples, which were followed by his inter- 
cessory prayer to the Father on their behalf 5 . 
He then announced to them his approaching" 
sufferings and departure ; and we have now to 



a kvwTnov — X^jo-tou 'Iyjgov tov /JLaprvprjcravTos em Ylovriov 
YliXarov Tr]v KaXrjv ojxoXoy'iav. ver. 13. 
b John xvii. 



Lecture XVI. 



389 



accompany them and their Master to the garden 
of Gethsemane, where his sufferings were to 
commence, and where, having prepared them, he 
was about to prepare himself for the trying scene. 

Leaving the other disciples with a charge to 
e( pray lest they should enter into temptation, and 
to tarry while he retired to a little distance from 
them to pray also/' he took with him Peter, and 
James, and John. Having told them of the "ex- 
ceeding sorrow, even unto death/' which had come 
upon him, "he withdrew about a stone's cast" from 
them also, leaving it in charge to them "to pray 
and to watch." The words and the subject of the 
prayer, which, "being in an agony/' "he poured 
out with strong crying and tears unto his Father," 
you cannot but remember 0 . Nor need I remind 
you that his full knowledge of " the iniquity of us 
all, which was about to be laid on him," and of 
" the stripes and chastisement which he was about 
to undergo for our peace and healing," put him to 
grief, deep and still increasing. Returning from 
his more earnest supplication for " the third time," 
and " strengthened by an angel from heaven," 
by the annunciation, perhaps, that he " had been 
heard in that he feared," he comes to arouse them 
to the full sense of their danger by the alarming as- 
surance, " It is enough, the hour is come ; behold 



c Matt. xxvi. 36—44. Isai. liii. Heb. v. J. 



390 



Lecture XVI. 



the Son of man is betrayed into the hand of sin- 
ners. Rise up, let us go ; lo, he that betrayeth 
me is at hand V " While he yet spake," Judas 
appeared with his company. And the contrast 
exhibited between the conduct of the disciples 
and of their Master was, if possible, more striking 
than ever. They acted as men ; yet as those in 
whom an affection for their Master was deeply 
seated ; whose hasty zeal in his behalf, and 
whose almost immediate fear and flight, were 
equally natural in their circumstances. But Jesus 
in his words displayed a composure, a courage, 
and a perseverance in the discharge of his mission, 
which was uniformly supported in his whole de- 
meanour from the first moment of danger, even 
until the last struggle of dissolving nature. Let 
us then attentively consider all that from this time 
fell from his lips, and also, as we have occasion to 
do, the intelligible significancy even of his silence. 

Jesus fearlessly advanced to meet the ap- 
proaching company of armed men b . " Knowing 
all things that should come upon him, he went 
forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?" When 
he had told them that he was the person they 
sought, cc they went backward, and fell to the 
ground ;". either overpowered by a consciousness 
of his innocence and prophetic character, or 



* Mark xiv. 41, 42. b John xviii. 4, 



Lecture XVI. 391 



because Jesus himself exerted upon them a mi- 
raculous power. When they arose, still deter- 
mined to persevere in their design, Jesus pleaded 
for the personal safety of his disciples only ; cc that 
the saying which he had just spoken might be 
fulfilled, Of those that thou gavest me, I have lost 
none 0 ." ee I have told you/' said he again, "that 
I am he ; if then ye seek me, let these go their way." 

Three other separate addresses he made at 
the same season. — When Judas advanced to give 
the signal, upon which he had agreed with the 
officers beforehand, Jesus intimated to him his 
knowledge of the plan which he had concerted, 
and of its object. <f Friend, wherefore art thou 
come ? Betrayest thou the Son of man with a 
kiss?" The officers, emboldened by the perse- 
verance of their guide, laid hands on Jesus, and 
bound him. — And is he then bound, and led away 
as a malefactor, who is surrounded by those who 
professed their readiness to "go with him even 
unto prison, and unto death V 3 He, who claimed 
the peculiar co-operation and protection of his 
heavenly Father; who had wrought so many 
wonders of mercy and of power; who had 
"spoken as never man spake?" Is he now 
found unaided, and powerless, and silent ? He is 
not indeed delivered. Yet he shewed, once and 



c John xviii. 9- See xvii. 1C. 



392 



Lecture XVI. 



again, that he could even then be rescued, though 
by no human arm ; that he could escape out of 
their hands, in such a manner as he had done 
aforetime. And he at this juncture so expressed 
himself, as to leave his character as a divine 
teacher unimpaired by these apparently humi- 
liating incidents, and to prepare us to expect 
consequences from them of the highest import- 
ance, and of the deepest interest. He spoke 
such things both to his own disciples, and to his 
enemies. 

His disciples eagerly inquiring whether they 
should smite with the sword, and Peter having 
actually done so, Jesus charged him to f put up 
again his sword into its place/' cc For," said he, 
{C all they that take the sword, shall perish with 
the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray 
to my Father, and he shall presently give me more 
than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall 
the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be a ? 
The cup which my Father hath given me, shall 
I not drink it b ?" — He had before apprised them 
of the approaching fulfilment of prophecy by the 
delivery of the Son of man into the hands of sin- 
ners. They had also just heard him declare to 
his heavenly Father his acquiescence in his will, 
and his readiness to drink the cup which was 



a Matt. xxvi. 52—54. 



b John xviii. 11. 



Lecture XVI. 



393 



presented to him, since it was not to "pass from 
him, except he drank it." They might there- 
fore collect from his present observations that 
nothing* had come upon him which he had not 
foreseen. And if, by such a destiny, Scripture was 
fulfilled, and the Father's will accomplished ; and 
if he, who had to drink the bitter cup, was 
himself unmoved and resigned, and exhorted them 
to be so ; they might reasonably, not only so far 
submit, as to abstain from actual resistance, but 
they might also contentedly acquiesce in, and 
await the approaching developement of the pur- 
poses of God. 

To those, who came to apprehend him, Jesus 
spoke in a different manner. Their present con- 
duct was prompted by the spirit of malignant 
unbelief, rather than occasioned by the infirmity 
of human nature. With them therefore he ex- 
postulated, not at all with the design of procuring 
his liberation, but that he might shew them the 
injustice and cowardly baseness of their present 
procedure, and also announce to them that while 
they followed the suggestions of their own de- 
pravity, they would unwittingly be the agents for 
the fulfilment of Scripture. But he prefaced his 
words by the miraculous cure of the wounded 
Malchus, thereby once more demonstrating the 
authority of that doctrine, for which he was te an 
ambassador in bonds." Having checked the too 



394 



Lecture XVI. 



forward zeal of his disciples, he thus addressed those 
who had apprehended him. " Are ye come out,, 
as against a thief, with swords and staves for to 
take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the 
temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this 
has been done that the Scriptures of the prophets 
might be fulfilled a . This is your hour, and the 
power of darknessV 

Not far dissimilar were his remarks when, 
brought before the Sanhedrim, assembled in the 
house of Caiaphas, he stood alone, forsaken of all 
his disciples, and was questioned by the high 
priest respecting his disciples, and his doctrine. 
<c I spake openly to the world : I ever taught in 
the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the 
Jews always resort, and in secret have I said 
nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which 
heard me, what I have said unto them. Behold, 
they know what I said c ."— The rulers knew that 
they could bring forward no witnesses who could 
give evidence upon which he might be capitally 
convicted. That nothing less than this would 
satisfy them, or answer their purpose, is evident 
from their former watching of Jesus, and from 
their consultations ic how they might put him to 



a Touto de oXou yeyovev, Yva TrXrjpu)du><Ttv al ypa<pa) Ttov irpo- 
<pr)TU)u. Matt. xxvi. 55, 56. 

b Luke xxii. 53. c John xviii. 20, 21. 



Lecture XVI. 



39b 



death;" and their whole conduct both in their 
own court, and before Pilate, proved the same. 
In default of evidence, Caiaphas was desirous to 
draw from him some incautious expression, which, 
being* publicly heard, might supply a pretext for 
his condemnation. He might hope, when he 
questioned him concerning his disciples, and his 
doctrine, to be able either to convict him of tumul- 
tuous proceedings, or of impugning the law of 
Moses, or of blasphemy. But this mode of proce- 
dure was as unavailing, as it was unjust. Jesus 
knew that even his condemnation, which was 
shortly to follow, would be found perfectly con- 
sistent with his innocence, and that it would even 
furnish many unequivocal proofs of it; and he 
therefore challenged them to bring forward those 
who had heard him in public. He manfully 
and calmly maintained his ground, even when 
angrily smitten, by one of the officers that stood 
by, because he had ce so answered the high priest." 
te If," said he, " I have spoken evil, bear witness of 
the evil ; but if well, why smitest thou me d V? His 
answer to the high priest was perfectly just and 
respectful, unless it could be proved that he had 
taught some dangerous doctrine. He required of 
the officer to do so, if he could bring witness of any 
such. An endeavour was made by the rulers to 



d John xviii. 22, 23. 



396 Lecture XVI. 

establish such an accusation, but in vain. ec False 
witnesses were sought/' and when at length they 
found them, their testimony was contradictory, 
and insufficient. They were obliged to abandon 
this method of prosecution. — Let it, therefore, 
be borne in mind, that Jesus could be convicted of 
no moral or political crime. He had advanced 
nothing in his doctrine,, which calumniated or 
opposed the laws and institutions of Moses; he 
had stated nothing respecting himself, which he 
had not established by argument, and confirmed 
by miracles. And, in the face of such demonstra- 
tion, they ventured not at this time to repeat their 
former imputations of blasphemy, lest, as afore- 
time, he should baffle their designs. — He was ques- 
tioned again as to his defence of himself against 
these varied, though inadmissible accusations. 
<c The high priest stood up in the midst, and 
asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? 
What is it which these witness against thee? — 
But he held his peace, and answered nothing/' — 
He left them to their own conviction of the 
insufficiency of the testimony ; and would enter 
on no defence, when, in fact, there was no crime 
even apparently proved. 

But the trial soon took a different turn. The 
high priest proposed a definite and leading ques- 



a Matt. xxvi. 59, &c. Mark xiv. 55, &c. 



Lecture XVI. 



397 



tion, and accompanied it with an adjuration; in 
order that Jesus, in obedience to a specific pre- 
cept of Moses, might be compelled to give an 
answer b . cc 1 adjure thee by the living God, that 
thou tell us whether thou be the Christ." And 
he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not 
believe ; and if I also ask you, ye will not answer 
me, nor let me go." He thus stated that he was 
fully aware of the manner in which they would 
receive his answer ; yet he gave it, and said, 
" I am." And that they might learn that although 
he hitherto appeared in humility, yet he did not 
disavow a claim to the glories ascribed to the 
Lord's Christ, he assured them that though the 
time was not yet come for his exaltation, it would 
hereafter be known and recognized. He applied 
to himself the prophetic descriptions of the second 
and hundred and tenth Psalms, and of a passage 
in the book of Daniel. <c Nevertheless, I say 
unto you, that hereafter ye shall see the Son of 
man sitting on the right hand of the power of 
God, and coming in the clouds of heaven." They 
all exclaimed in consequence of this declaration, 
« Art thou then the Son of God ?" He said to 



b 'E£ojOKi£a> ere Kara tov Qeov tov QavTos Yva ijfxTv 6'i7rt]<5, 
k.t.X. Matt. xxvi. 63. — See the precept concerning the (piavr, 
6pKt<Tixov in Lev. v. 1. And see also 1 Sam. xiv. 24, 26. 
1 Kings ii. 42, 43; viii. 31, 32; xxii. l6. Prov. xxix. 24. — 
eaV opKov TrpoTeQevTos a.KovGavTe's nxtj dvayye\\(a<xi. Septuagint. 



398 



Lecture XVI. 



them, «■ Ye say that I am." He assented to the 
justness of their supposition, that he asserted his 
right to that, as well as to every other dignity of 
the Messiah; and they all, contending that he 
had spoken blasphemy in their presence, declared 
that he was worthy of the capital punishment 
assigned to blasphemers by the law of Moses \ 

If he was not the Christ, he was justly con- 
demned to death. If by that death itself he was 
not glorified, if he was not redeemed from the 
power of the grave, then the hopes of all that 
trusted in him were buried for ever with him. 
But assuredly he did burst through the bands, in 
which death for a season detained him ; " because 
it was not possible that he should be holden of it." 
He died in the character, the avowed character, 
of the Christ, the Son of God. As the Christ he 
died. As the Christ he is risen from the dead, 
and (c declared thereby to be the Son of God with 
power." He has ci sat down on the right hand 
of the Majesty on high." But if he were the 
Lord's Anointed, he was anointed to inherit a 
kingdom. And the next question to be deter- 
mined, is, what is the nature and object, and who 
are the subjects of his kingdom ? This we shall 
find stated in due time by Jesus, when he was 
accused to Pilate by the high priest of asserting 
himself to be cc Christ, a king b ." 

* Lev. xxiv. 1.6. b Luke xxiii. 1 — 3. 

s 



Lecture XVI. 



399 



It was not lawful for those, who had decided 
that a cause of death was found in Jesus, to 
execute that punishment without the authority of 
the Roman governour ; who required of course 
to be satisfied that the sentence was just. It was 
not sufficient that they assured Pilate that cc if he 
were not a malefactor, they would not have de- 
livered Jesus unto him 0 ." They were required 
to (C take and judge him according to their law." 
But that would not content them, because they 
could not inflict that punishment which alone 
would satisfy them. They therefore contended 
that he was guilty of sedition, by assuming the 
title of the Christ, and therefore " making himself 
a king, and speaking against Cesar adding that 
he cc forbad to give tribute to Cesar an asser- 
tion which they did not attempt to prove, and 
which was directly contrary to the truth d . The 
question which Pilate had first to decide, was 
whether he really declared himself the king 
of the Jews ; for they brought no witnesses to 
prove it. He asked Jesus whether he was so. 
Jesus demanded in return, " whether he asked 
this of himself, or whether others had told it to 
him?" Pilate implied that the latter was the 
only source whence he, a Roman, could have 



c John xviii. 29 — 31. 

d Luke xxiiit 2. — See Matt. xvji, 27 ; xxii. 21. 



400 



Lecture XVI. 



learnt it. <c Am I a Jew? Thine own nation 
and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me. 
What hast thou done?" He answered in the 
words of our text ; not merely alluding to the ab- 
sence of any proof that he had done any thing which 
could be considered seditious, but even appealing 
to fact to shew the contrary ; and applying that 
circumstance in illustration of the nature of the 
kingdom to which he advanced a claim. cc My 
kingdom is not of this world; else would my 
servants fight that I should not be delivered to the 
Jews. But now is my kingdom not from hence." 

There was therefore nothing which brought 
his claims under the cognizance of Pilate. He 
avowed his right to a kingdom ; but not such as 
either had occasioned, or would occasion, any 
disturbance to the political order and civil govern- 
ment of the world. He had taught indeed the 
approach of a kingdom, but it was the kingdom 
of God ; for admittance into which repentance, 
and the belief of promises relative to religious- 
blessings, were requisite 1 . He had taught that 
this kingdom cs cometh not with observation/* but 
that it is situated in the hearts of men b . He 
had avoided every thing that might encourage 
tumults and insurrections for his temporal exalta- 
tion 0 . He had refused to act as " a judge and 



a Mark i. 15. Luke iv. 21. b Luke xvii. 20. c John vi. 15, 



Lecture XVI 



401 



a divider" even among' his own followers 1 He 
had checked and endeavoured to eradicate those 
anticipations of earthly grandeur, which arose in 
the minds, either of the multitude, or of his own 
disciples 6 . The topics of his instruction had been 
the duties of morality, — the attributes of God, 
his promises and his will, — the evidences and 
spiritual purposes of his own mission. Thus had 
he ever taught, as they were able to bear it, that 
"his kingdom was not of this world;" and the 
same truth he now declared in " his good confes- 
sion before Pontius Pilate." In the former part 
of this avowal of his character, for we can scarcely 
call it a defence, he had declared himself to be 
the Christ. This he declared to Jews, who were 
qualified to judge of his claim to that title. But 
when arraigned before Pilate, he further declared, 
that the kingdom which belonged to him as such, 
was not in any sense of a political nature, and 
that he was not thereby rendered accountable to 
a civil ruler. 

But if such were his kingdom, did he then 
profess himself to be a king? Pilate put this ques- 
tion also. And the answer of Jesus was to the 
same purport as before ; but he did not now speak 
so much of the nature of the dispensation which 



d Luke xii. 14. 

e John vi. 7, 12. Matt. xvi. 1?; xx. 17 — 28; xxii. 41 — 46. 
C c 



402 



Lecture XVI. 



he was introducing, as of the employment and 
procedure by which it has been his commission 
to introduce it. " For this end was I born,, and 
for this cause came I into the worlds that I might 
bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of 
the truth, heareth my voice/' He declared that 
those were the subjects of his kingdom, who obeyed 
his commands as a teacher of moral and religious 
truth. In such a character he had appeared, and 
all his statements and labours had been suitable to 
it. He had been born in order to promote the 
establishment of a spiritual kingdom of truth and 
righteousness. He had gone forth into the world 
to fulfil the end for which he was born. He had 
borne witness to the truth. Those only he ex- 
pected to be his followers, who were of the truth, 
and were, therefore, willing " to receive the truth 
in the love of it." No others would obey him, for 
none but they had correct apprehensions respecting 
the purposes of his mission. His kingdom not 
being of this world, he required not in his subjects 
any of the qualifications for the warlike or diplo- 
matic transactions of the kingdoms of the earth. 
It had not been proved by his accusers that he had 
given any handle for such an imputation ; nor did 
they afterwards establish the truth of the state- 
ments, which they had so repeatedly advanced. — 
But Jesus thenceforth made no declaration whatever 
until the ground of accusation was changed ; and 



Lecture XVI. 



403 



not even then until an occasion was given by 
a remark from Pilate. 

In answer to the observations of Jesus, Pilate 
exclaimed, cc What is truth V c Why do you speak 
of truth ? What connection can that have with 
the accusation of the chief priests ? They have 
brought no evidence to support their accusation ; 
and it does not appear, from your professions, 
that you have given them any ground for it/ 
He therefore went out to the accusers, who stood 
without Pilate's judgment-hall, cc lest they should 
be defiled/' and disqualified for the celebration of 
the passover. He announced to them that cc he 
found in Jesus no fault at all," and would fain 
have released him, according to the usual custom 
at the time of the passover. But they requested 
the release of Barabbas, who, indeed, not only had 
headed an insurrection, but had committed murder. 
Determined to accomplish their purpose, they 
changed their plea; and, as they could convict 
Jesus of no political delinquency, they endeavoured 
to obtain the sanction of Pilate to their own pre- 
vious sentence \ ce By our law/' said they, cc he 
ought to die, because he made himself the Son of 
God.— When Pilate heard that saying, he was the 
more afraid." Perhaps he was already disposed to 
think, from what he had now seen, and might 



a John xix. 7, &c. 
c c 2 



404 



Lecture XVL 



formerly have heard, that Jesus was a remarkable 
personage; or some superstitious fears were awaken- 
ed in his mind ; or finding, not only that " the 
Jews had delivered him for envy/' but that the 
occasion of their enmity was connected with 
questions of their own religion and law, he was 
alarmed by the indications of an inclination to 
rebel, and to accuse him to Cesar, if he refused to 
give up Jesus to their will. He therefore asked 
Jesus, " Whence art thou V s But no answer was 
given to the Gentile ruler. The title of the Son 
of God was by the prophets ascribed to the 
Messiah, but it was one of which Pilate, as a 
Gentile, could not judge ; and he had already 
proved to Pilate that he was clear of every charge 
which came under his cognizance. But when 
Pilate pleaded for an answer on the ground that 
" he had power to crucify him, and had power to 
release him," then Jesus made his final declaration 
to the same purport as those made at the time 
of his apprehension. ce Jesus answered, Thou 
couldest have no power at all against me, except it 
were given thee from above ; therefore he that 
delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." 
The rulers knew, and by their recent proceedings 
in their own Council had in fact allowed, that the 
Messiah was to be the Son of God. Yet they 
had separated the claim to the latter character ; 
and had condemned Jesus, regardless of his own 



Lecture XVI. 



405 



declaration that he was the Christ, and forgetful 
of all the arguments and evidences by which he 
had supported his divine authority. They had 
endeavoured upon false pretences to procure his 
condemnation by Pilate ; and when they men- 
tioned the real one, upon which they had them- 
selves proceeded, they did in fact still make an 
improper and imperfect statement. The declara- 
tion, however, which Jesus made to Pilate, was 
quite consistent with his former statements to him; 
and, if he were the Son of God, it was evidently in 
character. It certainly increased the fear of 
Pilate, and his reluctance to condemn him ; for 
" he sought thenceforth to release him/' and not 
Barabbas. But " the voice of the multitude and 
of the chief priests prevailed." cc He gave sentence 
that it should be as they required, and delivered 
Jesus to their will/* 

Thus did the trial of Jesus proceed in such a 
manner, as to produce the most various and incon- 
trovertible attestations of his complete innocence 
with reference to man. Occasions also arose which 
called forth declarations of the character in which 
he professed to be sent of God, viz. that he was 
the Christ, the Son of God, hereafter to come in 
power, as then he appeared in humility ; and that 
he was born, and sent into the world that he might 
testify of the truth, and declare " not the wisdom 
of the world, nor of the princes of this world, 



406 



Lecture XVI. 



which come to nought/' but the necessity of re- 
pentance for the remission of sins, and of obedience 
to his precepts in all such as were willing that he 
should reign over them, and who desired to enter 
into those mansions which he would prepare for 
his faithful soldiers and subjects. He declared also 
that the issue of his trial and condemnation not 
only was conformable to the predictions of the 
prophets, but to the will of God ; and that Pilate 
was indeed permitted to authorize it, but that, 
without that permission, his power would have 
been ineffectual. 

Connect these declarations with what we have 
already heard from the lips of him who made 
them; of him, who had appeared, at a former 
period of his ministry, before the tribunal of the 
Jewish council ; and who then fully stated to them 
his authority and the proofs of it. And though his 
hour was now come, and the day of Jerusalem's 
visitation expiring, yet are not the words that we 
have this day considered, the words of one sent 
of God ; of one who was about to tc finish the work 
which the Father had given him to do?" Such 
indeed he was, though, after cruel mockeries and 
humiliating indignities, (C he went forth bearing his 
cross," and touching the tenderness of the female 
heart with pity even to tears. He was going forth 
to offer himself for the life of the world. But he 
foresaw the obstinacy, and unbelief, and ruin of 



Lecture XVI. 



407 



that generation ; and well might he exhort li the 
daughters of Jerusalem to weep for themselves, 
and for their children/' upon whom the guilt of 
that innocent blood had so thoughtlessly been 
imprecated and entailed 3 . Well did he know, 
and often would he fain have taught them, the 
things that would have made for their peace. But 
now he could only pray, as they nailed him to the 
tree, cc Father, forgive them, for they know not 
what they do V Yet behold again the authority 
and power, and benevolence of him, who was 
then made ^a spectacle to angels and to men." 
He could confidently anticipate his Father's ac- 
ceptance of his sacrifice, and could declare to the 
penitent thief who attested his innocence, and 
prayed to be remembered in his kingdom, that 
ff That day he should be with him in Paradise 0 ." 
Soon did he perform the last office of filial affection 
to his earthly parent; and, declaring in several 
ways that cc all things were accomplished/' he 
commended his Spirit into the hands of his 
Father, and gave up the ghost d . The darkened 
heavens, and the convulsed earth, the opening 
graves, and the unveiled sanctuary, rebuked the 
madness of the agents in that scene ; and declared 



a Matt, xxvii. 25. Luke xxiii. 28 — 31. Acts v. 28. 
b Luke xxiii. 34. c Luke xxiii. 39 — 43. 

d Matt, xxvii. 46, 50. John xix. 30. Luke xxiii. 46. 



408 



Lecture XVL 



to them and to every child of Adam that hears of 
these transactions, that ce truly this was the Son 
of God/' who had then "brought in an ever- 
lasting righteousness/' and finished the work 
which the guilt of man required, and which the 
mercy of God had promised. 

And is not Jesus Christ, in the word of God, 
and by the preaching of his ministers, evidently set 
forth among you as Christ crucified ? And is not 
an institution observed amongst us, which purports 
to be a commemorative ordinance, designed to be 
celebrated, even unto the end of time, wherever 
a Christian church exists, that Christians, " eating 
of that bread, and drinking of that cup, may shew 
forth the Lord's death till he come?" We have 
derived the custom from our forefathers, who 
believed in Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 
They derived it from those, who first preached 
to them these great truths. And in what did it 
originate, in what could a commemorative ordi- 
nance originate, but in the fact which it comme- 
morates ? We can account for the first observance 
of this rite, only by believing that it is an historical 
fact that Jesus died. And it was observed in 
obedience to his injunctions, and in consequence 
of his celebration of it before he died. And how 
should any but an innocent person, one who knew 
that his innocence would be undeniably attested, 
institute a rite to keep up ts a perpetual memory" 



Lecture XVI. 



409 



of his public and ignominious death? Again, why 
should he ivish it to be celebrated, and why should 
any others even be persuaded to celebrate it, 
unless they discerned in the Lord's body and 
blood, somewhat in which they had a great 
concern ? And what does this, and every other 
argument in support of the Gospel, prove to us, 
but that he spoke not only with foreknowledge 
of the fact, but with a full acquaintance with 
its design^ and success, when he declared, " This 
is my body which is broken for you; This is my 
blood of the New Testament which is shed for 
you and for many for the remission of sins. Do 
this in remembrance of Me V 

These benefits, doubtless, will be commemo- 
rated, and be received by multitudes, even till 
the Lord, by whose death they were obtained, 
shall come again in such manner as he has de- 
clared that he will come. Our share in keeping 
up the remembrance of them is confined within 
a very brief portion of these latter times ; but that 
portion is to us ec the accepted time, and the day 
of salvation/' We must therefore meditate on 
the design of this event, on the necessity for it, 
on the purposes accomplished by it, on the con- 
sequences of it here and hereafter. And it should 
be our prayer and endeavour, that " by the merits 



* Matt. xxvi. 26—29- Mark xiv. 22—26. Luke xxii. 17—22. 



410 



Lecture XVI. 



and death of Jesus Christ, and through faith in 
his blood, we and all his whole church may obtain 
remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his 
passion." If we can with heartfelt gratitude and 
joy ec glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ/' 
and if " by it the world is crucified unto us, and 
we unto the world," then " all things are our's, 
whether life, or death, or things present, or things 
to come, all things are our's; for then are we 
Christ's, and Christ is God's/' 

Let us remember, however, that the cup, of 
which Jesus drank even the last bitter dregs, will 
one day be presented to our lips ; and we too 
must drink of it. And if the draught be not 
sweetened, by a hope of deliverance from its 
deadly consequences in eternity ; if we have not 
a well-grounded hope that the sufferings of this 
present time, and the pains of dissolution, will 
issue in the attainment of cc a far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory ;" then has Jesus died 
in vain for us, and in vain have these things been 
written, that " through patience, and comfort of 
the Scriptures, we might have a good hope" of 
inheriting the promises. How strong and how 
fatal a delusion must have come upon us, if, when 
death approaches, and makes us feel his presence 
and his power, we are in such a moment still 
insensible to our guilt and danger, still regardless 
of the judgments and of the mercies of God! 



Lecture XVI. 



411 



And, on the other hand, how agonizing will be 
our reflections, if an awakened conscience then 
utters her voice, and can give no other testimony 
than this, cc Thy sins, which are many, are not 
forgiven thee!" Yet it is not always thus, even 
when the summons is most sudden and unex- 
pected. ec The righteous hath hope in his death." 
Death still is clad in the garb of the king of 
terrors, but he delivers a message of peace. He 
is still an enemy, but he is " the last enemy" of 
the Christian, and one day he will :e be destroyed." 
Even his present hostilities have by our Redeemer 
been converted into blessings. By the antici- 
pation of these we are the more readily induced 
to " take to ourselves the whole armour of God." 
cc Arming ourselves with the same mind which 
was in him, who once suffered for us in the flesh, 
we cease from sin." We are no longer cc sub- 
jected to bondage through the fear of death." 
" God giveth us the victory through our Lord 
Jesus Christ." 

We hear from time to time how thickly the 
shafts of death fly around us ; how one fellow- 
creature is cut off in his sins, another in the midst 
of his virtuous and useful designs; one because 
threescore years and ten have worn out his short- 
lived frame, another in the vigour of youth ; one 
by the disorders of the body, another by some 
unlooked for accident. These dealings of Provi- 



412 



Lecture XVI. 



dence, while they answer wise ends with respect 
to the individuals taken away, are also intended 
to remind us of our own insecurity. And yet we 
are marvellously forgetful of so important a con- 
sideration. The soldier, indeed, in the field of 
battle, is heedless of the thousands that fall around 
him, and of the weapons which may the next 
moment level him with his dying comrades. But 
this may be accounted for„ It is said that, at the 
first onset, a pale terror sits on every brow, and 
that those of the stoutest heart feel a momentary 
conviction of the awful situation in which they are 
placed. But the instant that they are engaged, this 
gives way to an earnestness and exertion, which 
leaves no time, almost no possibility, for fear and 
reflection. Reflection, and fear, and even the 
thought of death is then certain destruction. 
With us the case is different. We have time for 
reflection, and it is our security. The busiest 
has more than time so to ce number his days, as 
to apply his heart unto wisdom." Why then are 
we as heedless as the soldier, though perhaps 
really in as great peril? Not because we cannot 
reflect — not because time has been wanting- — 
not because it increases our danger. None of 
these suppositions are true in point of fact. The 
reason is that we are unwilling. We dread the 
thoughts of death, because we "love the world 
and the things of the world/' — because the things 



Lecture XVI. 



413 



unseen have little hold upon our affections — be- 
cause we are sinners by nature, by practice,, and 
almost by determination — because we cc hate to be 
reformed " — because with the thought of death is 
associated the fear of cc a judgment to come." We 
tremble when we realize such things to our minds, 
and we therefore hate the recollection of them, 
and scarcely dare to encourage it. 

It is true that such subjects are solemn, me- 
lancholy, and alarming. But are they unprofitable? 
Is it better to attend to them, or to dismiss 
them — to avoid them — to drown the remembrance 
of them in vanity and indulgence? Such, in- 
deed, is the way in which the worldling acts. 
g f Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die," 
is his law and gospel. cc Let us banish care and 
sorrow," is his resolution. But what says the 
wisest of men ? cc The day of death is better than 
the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the 
house of mourning, than to go to the house of 
feasting ; for that is the end of all men, and the 
living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than 
laughter ; for by the sadness of the countenance 
the heart is made better. The heart of the wise 
is in the house of mourning." This is at all times 
more satisfactory, and it has a far greater blessed- 
ness in reserve. It is more safe, for it presents 
fewer temptations. It is more profitable, • for it 
shews us the value of those principles and hopes, 



414 



Lecture XVI. 



which in the house of feasting- we may undervalue 
or forget. We come away from thence improved 
in heart, and strengthened in every holy purpose. 
It lies most directly in the road to heaven ; and it 
displays to us the operation, and directs us to the 
acquirement of cc that consolation wherewith we 
ourselves may be comforted of God." 

But alas ! Solomon did not speak as a prophet 
when he said, cc The living will lay it to heart." 
He knew that too generally they would do far 
otherwise. At the same time he also knew, and 
so do we, that if the living are wise, if they are 
prudent, if they are not content to inherit ff shame 
and everlasting contempt/' ec they will lay it to 
heart/' We know that all men must die. But 
we must apply the truth to our own case. The 
mercies of God's providence, and the wonders of 
his grace, the compassion and sufficiency of a cru- 
cified Redeemer, will be worse than lost upon us, 
unless our hearts and consciences whisper to us 
daily — I too must die — I must then be ready — I 
must prepare to meet the Son of man — I must 
make him my friend — I must glory in his cross — I 
must have faith in his blood — I must rely upon 
his intercession— I must be sanctified by his Spirit 
— I must live a life of faith, and devotedness, and 
holy obedience. Nothing less than this is " to 
lay it to heart." Nothing less than this is <c to be 
of the truth, and to hear the voice of Jesus." 



Lecture XVI. 



415 



Have you done this ? are you disposed to do it ? 
Go on in this way, and " in due season you shall 
reap, if you faint not." But " be ye always ready ; 
for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of 
man cometh." " Have your loins girt, and your 
lights burning/' and then, "through the grave, 
and gate of death, you will pass to your joyful 
resurrection, for his merits who died, and was 
buried, and rose again for us, Jesus Christ our 
LordV 



a It may probably occur to those who read, as it did to some 
who heard this Lecture, that some particular circumstance must 
have suggested the reflections with which this Lecture concludes. On 
the day before it was delivered, the Author had seen removed from 
his own house the corpse of a Clergyman, whose useful life had sud- 
denly been terminated in consequence of the injuries which he acci- 
dentally received on the preceding Thursday. When the Author 
left that which had so unexpectedly become " the house of 
mourning," and sat down to finish this Lecture, the preparation of 
which had been suspended by that melancholy event, the recol- 
lection of the uncertainty of life, and of the blessedness of a state 
of preparation for death, mixed itself with all his thoughts. The 
contemplation of our Saviour's death also directed his thoughts 
into the same channel ; and perhaps it was not surprising that he 
should, under such circumstances, endeavour to communicate to 
others the lessons which himself had so profitably, and yet so 
painfully, been receiving. For he had witnessed the last hours of 
one to whom death had given a sudden summons ; yet who 
received it with a rare and enviable composure, and submitted to 
the stroke in faith, and hope, and resignation. He had " adorned 
the doctrine of God our Saviour by his life," and it was suffi- 
cient to support him in the hour of death. — Another exemplary 

Clergyman, 



416 



Lecture XVI. 



Clergyman, whom the Author had known from childhood, was in 
Cambridge when the next Lecture was delivered, and with him the 
Author conversed respecting the recent accident, of which that 
friend had heard on his way to Cambridge. And little did it 
then seem likely that he also, within eight days from that time, 
would be removed to another state of being. The Author cannot 
refrain from embracing this opportunity of bearing testimony to 
the steady and beneficent lustre of those truly Christian virtues, 
which characterised the lives of the Rev. Thomas Wilson, and 
the Rev. Walter Smith. Their memory will doubtless ever be 
embalmed in the hearts of their parishioners, and relatives, and 
friends ; and " though they have been punished in the sight of 
men, yet was their hope full of immortality." — The former died 
Oct. 12; the latter Oct. 29- a. d. 1821. 



LECTURE XVII. 



THE METHOD IN WHICH OUR LORD EVIDENCED THE 
REALITY OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND HIS REA- 
SONINGS ON PROPHECY AFTER THAT EVENT. 

THE DISTINGUISHING PECULIARITIES OF THE 
CHRISTIAN FAITH. 



St. Lure XXIV. 44—48. 

And he said unto them, These are the words which I 
spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all 
things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law 
of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms con- 
cerning me. Then opened he their understandings, 
that they might understand the Scriptures, and said 
unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved 
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third 
day, and that repentance and remission of sins should 
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning 
at Jerusalem. And ye are ivitnesses of these things. 

These words are ascribed to Jesus of Nazareth ; 
to him, into whose name we were baptized, and 
whose religion we profess. And what are the 
things of which he spoke, but those indignities, 
and sufferings, which did indeed end in death, 
but which were followed by his resurrection from 
the dead ? He, whose words we have read, had 
D D 



418 



Lfxture XVII. 



been apprehended, condemned, and crucified by 
the Jews. He had died, and he had been buried. 
But he now visibly appeared, and stood alive be- 
fore those, who had so lately misunderstood, and 
denied, and forsaken him ; and who, even then, 
scarcely had recovered from their disappointment 
and despondency. At this, as well as at all pre- 
vious seasons, Jesus is found to be his own apolo- 
gist. , No sooner are the requisite data furnished, 
and circumstances brought into a posture, which 
admits an explanation and defence of his preten- 
sions, than he proceeds to obviate the doubts and 
difficulties of those around him, and to draw, from 
familiar and acknowledged facts, the most import- 
ant inferences respecting the evidence, nature, 
and purposes of his mission. 

Whether, or not, the resurrection of Jesus be 
found to rest upon satisfactory evidence, there can 
at least be no hesitation, in the most sceptical 
mind, with respect to the reality of his death. 
If, indeed, there could be any doubt of that 
event, it would be mere trifling to talk of his 
having risen from the dead. But the proofs that 
Jesus truly died were both public and various. 
Not to mention the miraculous circumstances 
which attended the death of Jesus, and which 
added an awful solemnity to the conviction of 
its reality ; would not the attention of the sur- 
rounding multitude be attracted by the loud voice 



Lecture XVII. 



419 



with which he cried out, "It is finished/' and 
"commended his Spirit into the hands of the 
Father a ?" Even if the darkness, which until the 
ninth hour overspread the land, prevented some 
from seeing how " he bowed his head/' when 
"he gave up the ghost;" would they not draw 
near, to behold the paleness of death sitting on his 
brow? Would not a decided conviction of the 
fact have been universal among "all the people 
that came together to that sight/' ere they, "be- 
holding the things that were done, smote their 
breasts and returned 5 ?" What was the declara- 
tion of the centurion, " who stood over against 
Jesus/' but a testimony to the character of one, 
whom he believed to be dead ; occasioned indeed 
by his " seeing him so cry out and give up the 
Ghost c ?" Why did they omit to break the legs 
of Jesus, as they did those of the malefactors, but 
because they saw that he was already dead d ? The 
symptoms of a violent and painful death are not 
indeed either imitable or equivocal. But lest we 
should have any ground for supposing that they 
continued such in the case of Jesus, while he yet 
remained on the cross, the spear of the soldier 
pierced his side ; and that weapon which would 
have produced the extinction of life, if any had 



* Matt, xxvii. 50—53. Johnxix. 30. b Luke xxiii. 44—49. 
c Matt, xxvii. 54. Mark xv. 39. d John xix. 31—33, 

D D 2 



420 



Lecture XVII. 



remained, gave the demonstration that life had 
then already departed, by the out-pouring of 
blood and water. Of which transaction, St. John, 
" who saw it, has borne record, and his record 
is true, and he knew that he said what was 
true, that we might believe V When Joseph 
applied for permission to take down the body 
from the cross, he too mast have had the full 
conviction, that it was in a state fit only for 
interment. Pilate, who cc marvelled if Jesus were 
already dead/* inquired of the centurion himself; 
and not until he knew it of the centurion did he 
give the body to Joseph V And assuredly both 
Joseph and Nicodemus, who wound the body in 
linen clothes with spices, as the manner of the Jews 
is to bury ; and the women also, who sat over 
against the sepulchre, and beheld both where, and 
how the body was laid c ; all these could have no 
reason but to be fully satisfied that they had thus 
committed to the sepulchre a lifeless corpse; and, 
if it were otherwise, they must have discovered it. 
And those, who had accomplished the execution 
of Jesus, could have no doubt that they really had 
taken away the life of Jesus. For if otherwise, 
why did they " make the sepulchre sure, and seal 
the stone, and set a watch?" Why this precaution, 

a John xix. 34, 35. b Mark xv. 42—45. 

« Matt, xxvii. 59— 6l. Mark xv. 46, 47. Luke xxiii. 50 
—56. John xix. 39—42. 



Lecture XVII. 



421 



lest the disciples should " steal away" his dead 
body d ? — We can in no respect suggest a doubt as 
to the reality of that events which was a subject of 
lamentation and despair to the friends of Jesus, 
and of a malignant complacency and expected 
triumph to his enemies. It was witnessed, and 
attested by the leading individuals of either party ; 
and also by Pilate, and the centurion, and the sol- 
diers, who were less interested in the issue. 

Well might the Infidel triumph, and the 
Christian despair, if the resurrection of Jesus 
from the dead were not also ascertained by the 
most satisfactory evidence. Then should we have 
no reason to hope, as now we do, that " they which 
are fallen asleep in Christ have not perished ;" 
and "we should be yet in our sins." "Our 
preaching, and your faith, would alike be vain 6 /' 
Vain also would have been the instructions and 
the miracles, the promises and the sufferings of 
Jesus. The religion, of which he had laid the 
foundations, would either never have been estab- 
lished, or long since would have fallen to decay, 
had not his resurrection, as the key-stone, com- 
pleted, and strengthened, and adorned the whole. 
— But we, as the ministers of Jesus who was 
crucified, maintain that he "both died and rose 
again;" and "for this end, that he might be 



Matt, xxvii. 62—66. 



c 1 Cor. xv. 14, 17, 18. 



422 



Lecture XVII. 



Lord both of the dead, and of the living." And 
such was the personal character of those who 
were witnesses of these things to the world — 
they gave their testimony with such exhibitions of 
divine approbation — yet under circumstances which 
would have been so trying to those whose con- 
sistency was supported by any other principle that 
a conviction and a love of truth— that we need little 
more, to justify a reliance upon their authority, 
than to be satisfied that they were not, and could 
not have been, deceived into a persuasion, that 
Jesus "shewed himself alive after his passion by 
many infallible proofs*" If we recall the train 
of events to our recollection, we shall be able to 
place ourselves in the circumstances of those, to 
whom the words of our text were addressed, and 
to ascertain both how the resurrection of their 
master was evidenced to them, and what he taught 
them after that event. 

I. The chief priests and rulers of the Jews 
waited only for the arrival of the third day, in 
the hope that they should then be able finally 
to disabuse the people of their opinions respecting 
Jesus, by demonstrating the failure of the pre- 
diction that (i after three days he would rise 
again." His own disciples were already so com- 
pletely confounded, as to have no disposition to 



a Acts i. 3. 



Lecture XVII. 



423 



occasion any further jealousy. They had given 
up all for lost; and the prediction, which had 
occasioned the precaution of the rulers, had left 
almost no trace on the minds of those, who were 
occupied by all the contending emotions of dis- 
appointed ambition. As far as Jesus was con- 
cerned, they, who had slept when they attended 
him in the garden, had now sunk into a deep 
mental lethargy. None of his followers were 
found in motion, save only a few women, who 
having, on the eve of the sabbath, " prepared 
spices and ointments, and rested the sabbath-day 
according to the commandment/' went early on 
the morning of the first day of the week to pay 
their last tribute of affection and respect to the 
remains of their entombed friend b . Little did 
they think that the body, which they were desirous 
to embalm, would cc never see corruption/' They 
had no opportunity to accomplish their purpose. 
The stone which had closed the sepulchre was 
rolled away, and " entering in, they found not the 
body of Jesus V 3 Whilst Mary Magdalene ran to 



b Luke xxiii. 54 — 56 ; xxiv. 1 . 

c Luke xxiv. 2, 3, &c. Compare also Matt, xxviii. Mark xvi. 
John xx. — This short notice of the very numerous events of the 
morning of the resurrection is of course not designed as any thing 
more than a general statement, and does not profess to include all 
the incidents, -or notice all the feelings, and surmises of those 
concerned. 



424 Lecture XVII. 

inform Peter and John, that the Lord had been 
" taken away from the sepulchre, and laid they 
knew not where/' an angel appeared to her 
companions, on the spot within the sepulchre 
where they had before seen Jesus laid. They 
were doubting concerning the matter, when the 
angel informed them of the fact, reminded them 
of the predictions of Jesus, aud sent them to com- 
municate to his disciples the intelligence they 
had received. " Be not afraid ; 1 know that ye 
seek Jesus who was crucified. Why seek ye the 
living among the dead. He is not here, but is 
risen ; come, see the place where they laid him. 
Remember how he spake unto you while he was 
yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be 
delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be 
crucified, and the third day rise again. And go 
quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from 
the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into 
Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he said unto 
you a ." tc They," says the Evangelist St. Luke, " re- 
membered his words, and returned from the sepul- 
chre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and 
to all the rest." — Peter and John also came to the 
sepulchre, and found the intelligence of Mary Mag- 
dalene confirmed by their own observation. She, 
again coming to the sepulchre,, beheld two angels 



a Matt, xxviii. 5—7. Mark xvi. 6, 7. Luke xxiv. 5—7- 



Lecture XVII. 



425 



sitting therein ; and her lamentations to them 
respecting the body, were followed by the Jirst 
appearance of Jesus, who sends her to the disci- 
ples with an assurance of his approaching ascen- 
sion b . But her report was disbelieved. Jesus 
again appeared to the other women, and confirmed 
the direction of the angel to go and tell the 
disciples that they should cc go into Galilee, and 
there they should see him." To the disciples these 
things as yet cc seemed as idle tales, and they 
believed them not c ." Yet Jesus brought them, ere 
that day closed, to a full conviction of the fact of 
his resurrection. 

Two disciples, in the course of the same day, 
journeyed towards Emmaus, having left Jerusalem 
before they had received an accurate report of 
all the incidents which we have just noticed d . 
But they were very deeply impressed by the 
events of those days. They could think of 
nothing else, they could talk of nothing else. 
These things had happened in a manner the very 
reverse of all that they had wished, and hoped, 
and expected. They therefore communed to- 
gether respecting them, in the hope that they 
might assist each other in reviewing and account- 
ing for them, and in judging of the prudence and 



b Matt, xxviii. 9, 10. John xx. 14—18. 

c Luke xxiv. 10, 11. d Luke xxiv. 13—32. 



426 



Lecture XVII „ 



propriety of their past conduct. But they saw 
evident difficulties. They had various doubts. 
They were perplexed. They were sad.— A stranger 
w ho joined them observed their sadness. He asked 
its cause. He concluded that it could be no other 
than the subject of their earnest discourse together. 
He would fain be made acquainted with it. Their 
minds were indeed so full of it, that they scrupled 
not for a moment to communicate, even to a 
stranger, the subject of their grief, and all its 
particulars. But indeed what need had they to 
detail the events, by which they were overwhelmed 
with such despondency ? c Though a stranger to 
us, said they, " Art thou only a stranger in Je- 
rusalem, and hast not known the things which 
are come to pass there in these days?"' They 
entered into a disclosure of their feelings respect- 
ing them. They were shocked and distressed by 
the proceedings which had taken place respecting 
Jesus of Nazareth. They confessed that they 
were his disciples, his devoted followers. They 
could not even now doubt that he was " a prophet, 
mighty in deed and word before God and all the 
people." And yet how could they still rationally 
believe it ? For cc the chief priests and the rulers 
had delivered him to be condemned to death, and 
had crucified him." God, whose Messenger they 
had conceived him to be, appeared to have dis- 
owned and abandoned him. Yet they had here- 



Lecture XVII. 



427 



tofore even ventured to hope cc that it was he, 
who should redeem Israel/' and fulfil the pro- 
mises made of God to Israel by the prophets. 
Yet he, whose exaltation to a throne they had 
expected, had been executed as a malefactor, had 
died, had been buried ! Their hopes were at an 
end ! And yet had they not had reason to believe 
them just and reasonable ? And even now the 
matter was pregnant with fresh and yet unex- 
plained wonders. cc Besides/' added they, ce this 
is the third day since these things were done." 
c We remember certainly that he did speak some- 
thing, which we never could comprehend till the 
event explained it, about being delivered up, and 
crucified. And he spoke also of rising again on 
the third day. That day has arrived, and, though 
we have certainly had no convincing proof that he 
has fulfilled a promise of such a nature, yet, 
strange to tell, some women and others have been 
to the sepulchre, but have found it empty ! They 
have reported also that they had cc seen a vision of 
angels, which said that he was alive. And certain 
of them that were with us also went to the sepul- 
chre, and found it even so as the women had said; 
but him they saw not." What are we to think I' — 
Their companion was not slow to answer, and not 
incompetent to teach them what they ought to 
think; what indeed they would have thought 
before, had not their understanding of the Scrip- 



428 



Lecture XVII. 



tures been imperfect, had they not been " slow of 
heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken/' 
They expected one cc to redeem Israel." They for- 
merly believed that Jesus was anointed of God for 
that end ; nor were present circumstances at all in- 
consistent with that supposition. Had they attended 
to all that the prophets had spoken, they would 
have seen that {C the Christ ought to have suffered 
those things, which they knew that Jesus had suf- 
fered, and to enter into his glory." cc Beginning, 
therefore, at Moses and all the Prophets, he ex- 
pounded to them in all the Scriptures the things 
concerning himself." For it was Jesus — whom 
they had confessed to be the Christ, but of the 
validity of whose pretensions they were now in 
doubt — who then addressed them. He shewed 
them, while he remained unknown to them, that 
their belief of the Messiahship of their Master 
ought not to be destroyed by his sufferings and 
death; and that they might justly expect that he 
would rise from the dead. Soon he removed their 
doubts on that subject also by revealing himself 
to them ; thus shewing that he who had died, 
had already risen, and that they had for some time 
seen and conversed with him. cc He took bread, 
and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 
And their eyes were opened, and they knew 
him." They saw him administer to them that 
ordinance, which he had celebrated with them 



Lecture XVII. 



429 



before his death, then explaining its design, and 
commanding them to continue it cc in remembrance 
of him." But in the joyful moment of recog- 
nition, cc he vanished out of their sight and 
left them to their own reflections on all that he 
had taught them from the Scriptures, in con- 
nection with the fact that he had risen from the 
grave, and was alive. They had even before 
been deeply interested in the conversation of this 
stranger; and therefore was it that they requested 
him to ce abide with them" on their arrival at Cf the 
village whither they went/' And, after his mira- 
culous departure, recollecting, in the fulness of 
their conviction, every circumstance which con- 
tributed to communicate and confirm it, they 
observed to each other, c( Did not our heart burn 
within us, while he talked with us by the way, 
and while he opened to us the Scriptures?" It 
was Jesus himself, still speaking cc with authority 
and with power," as one ec who had the words of 
eternal life." 

This conference very fully discovers to us the 
views and feelings of the disciples at this junc- 
ture, when they had heard of the absence of the 
body of Jesus from the tomb, and that angels 
had declared that it was not in consequence of 
the removal of the body, but of the resurrection 
of Jesus from the dead. The same hesitation was 
manifested by the whole body, when the two 



432 Lecture XVII. 

of the reality of his bodily presence, and of his 
identity, but also invited their attention to the 
circumstances which proved it, with an express 
and pointed reference to those secret fears and 
surmises of their minds, which they had neither 
time nor inclination to state in words. By thus 
alluding* to ff the thoughts which arose in their 
hearts/' and directly answering them, he in another 
way identified himself. For he thereby shewed 
that he was the same Jesus who had often, during 
his ministry, displayed his knowledge of the hearts 
of all men. Their feelings, therefore, must now 
have been the same, as when they exclaimed on 
a similar occasion, c{ Now are we sure that thou 
knowest all things, and needest not that any man 
should ask thee ; by this we believe that thou 
earnest forth from GodV 

The same union of both these proofs is also 
observable, in the method by which, eight days 
afterwards, our Lord convinced Thomas, who on 
this occasion was absent. Jesus did not in the 
intermediate time continue his intercourse with the 
disciples ; but he entered among them, on the 
eighth day, in the same miraculous manner as 
before. Introducing himself with the same bene- 
dictory salutation, he shewed that he was perfectly 
aware of the resolute perseverance of Thomas 



a John xvi. 30. 



Lecture XVII. 



433 



in disbelieving the report of his brethren. For 
immediately he said to him, " Reach hither thy 
finger, and behold my hands ; and reach hither 
thy hand, and thrust it into my side ; and be not 
faithless, but believing." Unable any longer to 
resist a conviction of the truth, for which he had 
been prepared by the testimony of others, and of 
which he himself now had such perceptible and 
varied demonstration, he answered in faith and 
with joy, " My Lord and My God." 

II. We have reviewed the circumstances, and 
the declarations of Jesus, which preceded the deli- 
very of the words of our text. They were addressed 
to those, who by a series of clear and satisfactory 
proofs, had ascertained the certainty, not only of 
the death, but also of the resurrection of their 
Master. His body was not found in the sepulchre. 
The women who first discovered this, saw a vision 
of angels, who said that he was alive. The dis- 
ciples ascertained the absence of the body ; Peter 
and John found the sepulchre in such an orderly 
state, as indicated the probability that the body 
had not been surreptitiously removed. Peter saw 
Jesus. Mary Magdalene, and the other women 
also saw him. The two disciples going to Em- 
maus for some time conversed with him. He then 
appeared to the eleven, and proved to them that 
he was risen in the body, and in the same body 
in which he had died. This complete identity 

E E 



434 



Lecture XVII. 



was also still further evinced by his celebration 
of his recently appointed ordinance, by the subject, 
and comprehensiveness, and impressiveness of his 
instructions, by his supernatural knowledge of the 
human heart, and by his miraculous disappearance 
and re-appearance. And, in the words of the text, 
spoken at his interview with the eleven, he takes 
occasion from the full demonstration given of his 
resurrection, and from the conviction which his 
disciples had attained of its reality, to re-establish 
and advance them in the knowledge and belief 
of his divine mission and Messiahship, as fully 
and decisively proved by this event. And he also 
announced to them the purposes which were now 
accomplished, the blessings which were from that 
time to be published to the world, and the means 
through which their publication was to commence, 
with sufficient evidence to convince mankind. 
We can do little more than call your attention to 
the several considerations which Jesus proposed 
to the disciples at this interesting crisis. But 
such a brief notice as we can take, will bring to 
a close our review of the evidences of Christianity, 
as stated and defended in the discourses of its 
founder. 

The first argument upon which Jesus entered 
on this occasion was that derived from his own 
prophecies; and though some of them were wholly 
original, yet they were more generally an ap- 



Lecture XVIL 



435 



plication of the ancient prophecies to himself, 
and to the events in which he would be the 
principal agent or sufferer. He cited and ap- 
plied those predictions in such a manner, as to 
shew that he was previously aware of the true in- 
terpretation of them*; and described in literal terms 
the events, which, at an earlier period, had been 
described in figurative language. He specified 
many additional particulars, announced the speedy 
fulfilment of them in his own person, and even 
limited the precise day for their accomplishment. 
His prophetic character was shewn not only by 
the exact accomplishment of these numerous 
predictions, but by the peculiar nature of those 
unexpected incidents, which so rapidly fulfilled 
his anticipations. The events themselves had 
now become familiar to the minds of his disciples. 
The predictions had perplexed and distressed them 
at the time of delivery; the fulfilment was more 
deeply and sensibly afflictive. But from con- 
sidering both in connection, from remembering* 
his words before the events occurred, and from 
observing that none of those words had failed, 
they might derive consolation and conviction. 
We may well, therefore, conceive what entire satis- 
faction would possess their minds, when Jesus 
directing them to these considerations, said unto 
them, s: These are the words ichich I spake unto 
you, while I was yet with you, that all things must 



t 



436 Lecture XVII. 

be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, 
and in the prophets, and in the Psalms con- 
cerning me." — We have in a former Lecture 
considered the entire series of our Lord's pre- 
dictions, and shewn how he stated beforehand the 
purpose for which he delivered them, in order 
that "when the things referred to, came to pass, 
they might remember that he told them of those 
things ; and, thus remembering his words, might 
believe." And when " all things were brought to 
their remembrance, whatsoever he had said unto 
them," every previous fear that they might have 
been deceived in Jesus, was replaced by the most 
perfect confidence in him, and the most consola- 
tory belief of his divine mission. Nor do I know 
any consideration more convincing to ourselves, 
than that Jesus distinctly foresaw, accurately de- 
scribed, and with the utmost composure and 
complacency looked forward to those painful 
transactions, which terminated his ministry, and 
produced consequences so astonishing, and so 
permanent. 

It obviously appears from the resurrection of 
Jesus, that God did not disown him, though he did 
not deliver him from sufferings, and from death. 
Nay, those very sufferings were almost immediately 
followed by that event, which confirmed his words as 
a prophet, and established his authority as a divine 
teacher. But in order to the complete discovery 



Lecture XVII. 



437 



of his character, we must advance still further, 
and once more advert to the consideration* that 
the things, which had happened to him, were such 
as had been described by the Prophets. Jesus 
was therefore one, whose mission had long before 
been designed in the counsels of God. But this 
may also be said of Cyrus and of John the Baptist. 
A comparison of the sufferings and resurrection of 
Jesus, with the predictions respecting them, en- 
ables us to ascribe to him a more exalted cha- 
racter ; no other than that of the Messiah, whose 
coming had been foretold to the Jews, and who 
was by them expected to come. 

Jesus himself enlarged upon this subject to 
his disciples after his resurrection, then entering 
upon the more particular detail of those state- 
ments, which, as we have shewn in a preceding 
Lecture, he frequently made before his death. 
" These are the words which I spake unto you, 
while I was yet with you, that all things must be 
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, 
and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, con- 
cerning Me." Even a very general and superficial 
view will discover to us that the circumstances of 
the birth of Jesus, the character and office of his 
forerunner, and his own character, ministrations, 
and miracles, were certainly conformable to pro- 
phetic description. If, then, his claim to be the 
Messiah is established as far as these are con- 



438 Lecture XVII. 



cerned, are his suffering's and death sufficient to 
refute his pretensions ? They still more strongly 
confirm them. For these very things are as dis- 
tinctly and variously specified ec in the law of 
Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms/' 
as any of the others a . And in order to shew this 
important truth to his disciples, and thus perfectly 
to instruct them unto the kingdom of God, Jesus 
advanced still farther than to announce the mere 
fulfilment of the prophecies in himself; for he 
applied the obvious fact to establish them in the 
belief of his Messiahship, and in the right know- 
ledge of the purposes of his now finished commis- 
sion. cc Then opened he their understandings 
that they might understand the Scriptures; and 
said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it 
behoved the Christ to suffer, and to rise from 
the dead the third day, and that repentance and 
remission of sins should be preached in his name 
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." 

He led them to see that one consistent and 
ever growing testimony to the character, and 
office, and proceedings of the Messiah, is ob- 
servable in the prophetic writings ; and that all 
their sublime, and varied, and seemingly contra- 



a As the establishment of this position would occupy more 
room than the plan of these Lectures will allow, the Author 
must content himself with referring to Mede, Discourse 13. and 
to Dr. Hales's Chronology, Vol. II. Part II. p. 929. 



Lecture XVII. 



439 



dictory descriptions were fulfilled in those things 
which had happened to himself. They had seen 
reason, before his (C delivery into the hands of 
wicked men," to acknowledge his Messiahship. 
But his death had wholly staggered them; for 
iC as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he 
must rise from the dead." But that death which 
had overwhelmed them with despair, and that 
resurrection which they had so little expected, 
and of which they were with such difficulty con- 
vinced, were as necessary as any other particulars, 
to prove his Messiahship. For cc thus it was 
written, and thus it behoved the Christ to suffer, 
and to rise again the third day." Since therefore 
such things were predicted of the Christ, and 
since they had been fulfilled in himself, he was 
by new and decisive evidence proved to have 
a just claim to that title. 

He announced to them further, that {C it be- 
hoved the Christ thus to suffer, and rise from the 
dead/' not in order that he might be exalted to 
an earthly throne, but that ec repentance and re- 
mission of sins might be preached among all 
nations.' 1 For thus also cc it is written" of the 
Christ. The occasion and the terms of the 
original promise of the deliverer from evil — the 
succeeding promises and predictions of the pa- 
triarchal ages— the typical observances of the law 
— the prayers and promises, and predictions, 



440 



Lecture XVII. 



found in the writings of the later prophets — all 
these asserted and explained the spiritual nature 
of the blessings which it was his office to procure 
and to bestow. — And although the Messiah was 
to be born in Judea, and "the word of recon- 
ciliation " was to be ministered by Jews, and to 
begin at Jerusalem, yet all nations have ever been 
contemplated as having an interest in this design. 
So had it been expressed in all the earlier pro- 
phecies ; nothing had been stated to the contrary 
in the later ones ; and to all nations would this 
grand scheme in due time be made known. 

Although only the heads of that discourse, in 
which our Lord unfolded and illustrated these 
things, are recorded in the Gospels, yet in the 
citations of prophecy, and allusions to it, by all 
the Evangelists, and by the Apostles, in their 
discourses recorded in the Acts, and in their 
Epistolary writings, we are furnished with ample 
aid for taking a survey of the whole prophetic 
scheme, and for ascertaining the fulfilment of the 
prophecies, and the accomplishment of the divine 
promises, in the character, and office, and work 
of Jesus. Enough, probably, is already familiar 
to each of us to enable us not only to comprehend 
the reasonings of our Saviour in the text, but also 
to derive from thence a conviction of the truth of 
the Gospel, and an illustration of its nature. And 
Jesus having thus instructed his disciples, in the 



Lecture XVil. 



441 



purposes and previous design of these events, 
added, " And ye are witnesses of these things. 
And behold, I send the promise of my Father 
upon you ; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, 
until ye be endued with power from on high'* 
He had before his death given the promise of 
the Holy Spirit ; he now predicted its speedy 
communication and the design and consequences 
of it. "John truly baptized with water; but 
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not 
many days hence" cc Ye shall receive power, 
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; 
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jeru- 
salem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto 
the uttermost part of the earth V As Jesus 
predicted, so it came to pass; and we have reason 
to cherish feelings of the most lively gratitude 
to God for those inspired writings which the 
Evangelists and Apostles have bequeathed to the 
world, and for the wisdom, and boldness, and 
success, with which they were enabled to dis- 
charge the ministry committed to them. 

The commission which Jesus gave to his 
Apostles was suitable to the declarations which 
we have been considering. " Go ye into all the 
world/' said he to them, " and preach the Gospel 
to every creature. He that believeth and is bap- 



a Acts i. 5—8. 



442 



Lecture XVII. 



tized shall be saved; and he that believeth not 
shall be damned V This is an alarming sanction, 
a fearful penalty. If these things be so, — if he, 
who declared these things, had that dignity and 
authority which has been so abundantly evidenced 
to us, then a great responsibility rests upon us, 
who have been made acquainted with the glad 
tidings of salvation through him. We shall here- 
after have to consider the danger, as well as the 
causes of infidelity. Let us now ask, what does 
the Christian, who fully comprehends the pur- 
port of the title which he bears, profess to believe ? 
— Our text will furnish us with an answer. 

cc Thus it is written — that the Christ should 
suffer, and rise again the third day, and that 
repentance and remission of sins should be preach- 
ed in his name among all nations." — Promises of 
such things, and predictions of their accomplish- 
ment in the fulness of time, had existed for ages 
before the Christian era. And the fulfilment of 
such previously existing intimations may* convince 
the Gentile, as well as the Jew, that the com- 
munications of God's mercy, and the interpo- 
sitions of his providence, have not been made in 
vain. Important purposes were thereby to be 
answered, or these things would neither in such 
a manner, nor even at all, have been foretold and 
transacted. 



a Mark xvi. 15, 16* 



Lecture XVII. 



443 



And not only "thus is it written/' but "thus 
it behoved the Christ to suffer." There was 
a moral necessity for it, the whole extent of which 
we can but imperfectly comprehend ; but the 
nature and occasion of which we know. The 
same God who " created man upright/' when man 
fell from the security of innocence into the peril 
of guilt, gave to him the promise of restoration 
and deliverance. That general intimation of 
mercy, and the perfect and explicit revelation of 
it through the Christ, are the only ground of 
present consolation and future hope, amidst the 
depravity and sinfulness of our nature. Hence 
alone the assurance of pardon of sin, the means 
of sanctification, and the hope of future glory. 
The origin and prevalence of evil does indeed 
still perplex us ; but we may justly believe, that 
all will finally issue in the glory of God, and 
that, through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is 
" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will towards men."—" God was in Christ 
reconciling the loorld to himself;" and therefore, 
"it behoved the Christ to suffer/' "the just for 
the unjust, that he might bring us to God." — It 
was necessary that we should have sufficient 
grounds for faith and hope in him ; and therefore 
" it behoved the Christ to rise from the dead." — 
It was necessary, in order that the world might be 
reformed and regenerated, that these facts and 



444 



Lecture XVII. 



their design should be made known to the sons of 
men ; — and, therefore, it behoved that repentance 
and remission of sins should be preached among 
all nations." We have still in our hands those 
records, which shew us how the merciful design 
was at first formed and promised, how it was 
carried on, and how it was completed. 

The facts and miracles, the types and prophe- 
cies, by which the divine intention respecting 
ce so great a salvation," is evinced, form the highest 
possible moral demonstration. All is harmonious 
and consistent ; all tends to the great and import- 
ant end, the salvation of man through a long pre- 
dicted, divine, incarnate, and crucified Redeemer. 
The demonstration is as complete in its kind to 
prove the mercy of God to his sinful creatures, 
as is that, by which, from the wonders and order 
and arrangement of the material world, we deduce 
the existence and wisdom and power of the Creator. 
And so abundant is the evidence, and so satis- 
factory to all who will seriously consider it, that 
it is as little needful that Jesus should now repeat 
his miracles, and that all the other proofs both of 
his divine mission, and of the success of it, should 
again be exhibited, as that the world should be 
created anew, to prove the being and attributes 
of the Creator. 

What then remains for us but to cc believe 
in the Lord Jesus Christ that we may be saved?" 



Lecture XVII. 



445 



His words and his works, his sufferings and his 
exaltation, are all recorded for our instruction, 
" written " with the pen of inspiration, "that we 
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 
God, and that believing* we may have life through 
his name." Therefore were we "baptized into 
Christ, that we might put on Christ," " baptized 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost/' the authors of our salvation. 
Therefore are we "taught to observe all things 
whatsoever Jesus hath commanded us." We also 
have the sure and encouraging promise, " Lo I am 
with you alway even unto the end of the world." 

One other evidence of the truth of the Gospel, 
was noticed by our Lord, the exhibition of which 
depends upon ourselves; which, through the 
"special grace of God preventing and following 
us," we may be enabled to illustrate, and than 
which none will be more effectual for our own 
consolation, and for the conversion and establish- 
ment of others in " the truth as it is in Jesus." 
Our Lord himself prayed for us and for all men, 
after he had prayed for the Apostles, who were 
to be his witnesses to all men of " what they had 
seen and heard." "Neither pray I for these 
alone, but for them also which shall believe on 
me through their word, that they all may be one, 
as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that 
they also may be one in us ; that the world may 



446 



Lecture XVII. 



believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory 
which thou gavest me I have given them ; that 
they may be one even as we are one ; I in them, 
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect 
in one ; and that the world may know that thou 
hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast 
loved me. — And J have declared unto them thy 
name, and will declare it ; that the love wherewith 
thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in 
them V 

May therefore " God, the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the prince of 
peace, give us grace seriously to lay to heart the 
great dangers we are in by unhappy divisions. 
May he take away all hatred and prejudice, and 
whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union 
and concord ; that as there is but one body, and 
one Spirit, and one hope of our calling ; one 
Lord, one faith, one baptism ; one God, and 
Father of all ; so we may henceforth be all of one 
heart, and of one soul, united in one holy bond 
of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may 
with one mind and one mouth glorify God, 
through Jesus Christ our LordV 



a John xvii. 20, &c. 

b Collect in the Service for the Anniversary of the King's 
Accession. 



HULSEAN LECTURES 

FOR 1821. 

Part HI. 

LECTURES XVIII— XX. 



our lord's notice of the rejection of his claims by the jews 
and of the causes, progress, and consequences of 
infidelity. 



LECTURE XVIII. 



our lord's notice of the rejection of his 

claims by the jews. he specifies some of 

the moral causes of infidelity. 

St. John V. 40—46. 

Ye will not come to me that ye might have life. I receive 
not honour front men. Bat I know you, that you 
have not the love of God in you. I am come in my 
Father s name, and ye receive me not ; if another shall 
come in his ozon name, him ye will receive. How can 
ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and 
seek not the honour that cometh from God only ? Do 
not think that I will accuse you to the Father : there 
is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; 
for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, 
how shall ye believe my words ? 

We have cited in our text the whole of the third 
and concluding- division of that discourse of our 
Lord before the Jewish Sanhedrim, the former 
portions of which have occupied so much of our 
attention in the course of these Lectures. We 
have done this in order that we might at once 
announce the subject of this day's Lecture. 

F F 



450 



Lecture XVIII. 



You cannot, I conceive, have heard these 
words, without calling to mind the infidelity of 
the Jews. You must already have pictured to 
yourselves that sullen perverseness and watchful 
malignity, which exposed our Lord, during- his 
public ministry, to contradiction, calumny, and 
persecution ; that enmity, which continually be- 
came more fixed, determined, and extensive, till, 
through the machinations of the rulers, and with 
the consenting plaudits of the multitude, they 
finally rejected and crucified him. Carrying for- 
ward your recollections to the days, when the 
Apostles, (c with great power, gave witness of the 
resurrection of the Lord Jesus," and wrought 
those c: notable miracles V which the rulers could 
not deny, yet by which they were not persuaded 
to embrace the Christian faith, you observe them 
rejecting and persecuting the servants, in like 
manner as they had before hated their Master. 
You behold every Jewish prejudice and jealousy 
rousing them to vehement and desperate opposi- 
tion to the doctrine of Christ ; amidst the excesses 
of which " deceivableness of unrighteousness/' 
and partly through its instrumentality, their 
(C faith became faction," their polity was sub- 
verted, and their name and place as a nation 
removed. 



3 Acts iv. l6\ 



Lecture XVIII. 



451 



But we must not even here terminate our 
survey of the fate and fortunes of this misguided, 
but remarkable people, as if then they ceased to 
exist, as if they could no longer be traced amidst 
the inhabitants of the earth. We may follow 
them from kingdom to kingdom, and from century 
to century, till we come to look upon the times in 
which we ourselves live, and traverse the cities 
and kingdoms through which our race is distri- 
buted. In these, the Pagan, the Mahometan, and 
the Christian, partake of the general characteristics 
of their several countries and manners. The 
conquerors and the conquered become assimilated 
to each other. All other distinctions change and 
cease, except those by which the Jew is known, 
amidst every revolution, and in every age, country, 
and nation ; the same in his religious and civil 
peculiarities, in his person, and in his sufferings. 
It is not enough to say, that all this is unprece- 
dented ; it is a miracle, which has hitherto been 
lasting and universal, and which appears destined 
to continue for ages yet to come ; for there is yet 
little appearance of its cessation. The Jew as yet 
retains his infidelity, and, therefore, his distin- 
guishing characteristics. His ancestors rejected 
the lesson taught them by those miracles which 
were a counteraction and suspension of the laws 
of nature, and therefore the laws of providence, 
which mould and affect the destiny of all other 



452 Lecture XVIII. 

nations, are still, since the Christian era, as well 
as before it, suspended with respect to them ; that 
they may be a standing miracle, obvious to the 
view and apprehension of every people, and 
nation, and language. And what does it testify, 
but that truly they have been so separated, and so 
governed, and so preserved, by a divine council 
and design, for important and still progressive 
purposes ; for purposes which respect every nation 
of the earth, since in all are they present, and to 
all they may establish the same truths? They 
hold in their hands the oracles of ancient revela- 
tion, delivered by Moses and the prophets, and 
they account them divine. We also hold in our's 
the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles, and 
them also we account divine. The antiquity and 
divinity of both is proved by their unbelief and 
marvellous history, for these are an exact and 
abiding fulfilment of what Moses and the prophets, 
of what Jesus and his Apostles, have foretold. 
Although they deny that Jesus is the Christ, 
although they cc would not come to him that they 
might have life," yet by what they believe and by 
what they disbelieve, by what they do and by 
what they suffer, they condemn their own infi- 
delity, and they justify our faith. This we believe 
to be cc eternal life, to know the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom he has sent." The oracles 
of God committed to the Jews, and which they 



Lecture XVIII. 



453 



themselves received as the record and charter of 
eternal life, did cc testify of Jesus." The same 
testified also of their infidelity, and of its punish- 
ment ; and their prejudices, their peculiarities, 
and their fortunes, remain unaltered after the 
lapse of near two thousand years, and are, there- 
fore, proved to be not transitory, but abiding. 
This is a fact, which at once bespeaks the interpo- 
sition of God in the ages that are present, and 
evidences both his interposition and foreknowledge 
in the ages that are past, and the more remarkable 
consequences of which are reserved to be seen in 
ages yet to come. 

Behold, then, the solitary individuals of that 
nation, who in almost every town offer themselves 
to your observation. Behold them congregated in 
your metropolis. Cross the sea, and see them in 
still greater numbers inhabiting the metropolis of 
Holland, and the cities of Poland. See them abid- 
ing alike under Christian, Mahometan, and Pagan 
dynasties in every quarter of the globe ; some- 
times restricted, persecuted, and oppressed, some- 
times enjoying a portion of liberty and prosperity, 
but still unmixed and readily recognized. Ask 
yourself what, and of what original, is this strange 
tribe, whose fortunes and peculiarities form one 
solitary exception in the history of mankind. One 
people alone is found destitute of those affinities, 
by which men of like faculties, and opportunities, 



454 



Lecture XVIII. 



and pursuits, are ever amalgamated, and united in 
the same political and social relations? The drama, 
the fictitious narrative, and the historical annals 
• of our own and other nations, shew the universal 
belief and experience, that such as they are, such 
have they long been. If we search the records of 
classical writers, and those which the sacred and 
ordinary writers of their own nation have handed 
down to us, we identify the same people, then 
subsisting as a nation, and then as remarkable in 
their theology, and character, and fortunes, as they 
have since been. The fact admits of no denial ; 
the conclusions drawn from it are certain and 
satisfactory. The infidel cannot either refute, or 
weaken the argument. He rather directs his 
attention to one particular period of the Jewish 
history, and contends that their rejection of the 
Gospel is a valid objection to the claims of Jesus, 
and to the reality of the evidences in favour of 
Christianity. Now we contend that, in some 
respects, the case is completely the reverse of his 
representation, and that he cannot, in any respect, 
establish the validity of his inference. 

We undoubtedly grant, that the infidelity of 
the Jews is an astonishing, and, in some respects, 
a mysterious fact. Of course the entire body of 
the Jews of the present day are characterized by 
a rejection of the Gospel. But we cannot say so 
of those who lived in the reign of Augustus, and 



Lecture XV III. 



455 



who heard the instructions, beheld the miracles, and 
were witnesses of the crucifixion of Jesus. Great 
multitudes, in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in the 
other countries in which they were dispersed, did 
embrace the Gospel, and no longer were ranked with 
their unbelieving* fellow-countrymen, but with the 
Christians. The numerous and increasing society, 
which received that title first at Antioch import- 
ing their convictions that Jesus of Nazareth was 
the Christ, consisted, for many years, only of 
believing Jews ; who are, therefore, not incompe- 
tent, but admissible witnesses of the miraculous 
works of Jesus and his Apostles. The reality of 
these miracles was not indeed denied, even by those 
who remained in unbelief. We know that these 
unbelieving Jews did not admit that the prophe- 
cies were fulfilled in Jesus. But we must still bear 
in mind that a very large proportion of the nation 
thought otherwise ; and that more of those in 
power were not of that number, renders the argu- 
ment which is supplied by the conviction of 
others, more satisfactory. For the circumstance, 
that those who had the disposition, had also the 
power to persecute the early Christians, is a very 
decisive demonstration of the assurance and sin- 
cerity of that belief, which impelled men to join 
the standard of the cross, when the warfare to 
which it engaged them was so hazardous, and 
even when the hottest fire of persecution was 



456 



Lecture XVIII. 



directed against the company of the Apostles and 
their followers. If we consider the inhabitants 
even of this land, where Christianity is established, 
and where it has an influence so extensive, I know 
not whether we should find that the number of 
converts in Jerusalem fell very far short of the 
number of those who, among- ourselves, give evi- 
dence of their Christian faith, by regularly attend- 
ing on the worship and sacraments of the Christian 
Church, and by a life which adorns the doctrine 
of God their Saviour. Surely, then, there is no 
view, which can rightly be taken of the infidelity 
of the Jews, which can at all impair our con- 
viction of the reality of the Christian miracles, of 
the justness of the Christian interpretation of the 
prophecies, and of the cogency of the various other 
arguments, which persuade us, with " the full as- 
surance of understanding, with the full assurance 
of faith, and in the full assurance of hope/' to 
think that, cc both in the Old and New Testament, 
we have eternal life offered to us by Jesus Christ, 
as the only Mediator between God and man/' and 
that " to him we must be willing to come that we 
may have life." 

But we may, and ought to proceed still further 
in considering the infidelity of the Jews ; we 
must fix our attention more exclusively on those 
who remained and persevered in unbelief. We 
must investigate the causes, and motives, and 



Lecture XVIII. 



457 



operations of this unbelief. This will in two 
respects be useful to us. It will shew that the 
Gospel was rejected from no just, defensible, or 
sufficient motive, and, therefore, that their infi- 
delity need not hinder us from seeking the 
blessedness of those, *' who have not seen, and yet 
have believed/' It will also give to us an impres- 
sive and salutary caution, lest we fall after the 
same example of unbelief. 

It must suffice merely to remind you of those 
erroneous interpretations, or rather of that partial 
selection of Scripture, which led them to reject 
a spiritual and suffering Messiah ; to believe in 
the perpetuity and sufficiency of the Mosaic ritual ; 
and to claim an interest in the promises made to 
Abraham in virtue of their lineal and natural 
descent from him, and also an unconditional and 
indefeisible right to the land of Canaan. It was not, 
however, until the scheme of the Gospel was fully 
unfolded, and found to be directly opposed to 
these favourite notions, which they had embraced 
so firmly, and which so many refused to abandon, 
that the Jews became " exceedingly jealous of the 
traditions of the Fathers," and mad against the 
Christians. Those principles had then their full 
operation ; and the topics just mentioned became 
the subjects of open controversy between those 
who embraced, and those who rejected the Gospel 
of Christ. Those topics had been slightly touched 



458 



Lecture XVIII 



upon even by the Baptist. They were also occa- 
sionally adverted to by our Lord ; and in one or 
two instances became the subjects of his discourses, 
parables, and reasonings with the Jews. But, in 
general, as in the words of our text, we find our 
Lord unfolding the moral causes of infidelity ; 
causes which/ of themselves,, if unchecked and 
predominant^ are sufficient to choke the good seed 
of Evangelical truth, and to render it unfruitful. 
And when to these moral impediments preju- 
dices and errors were added, such as those just 
noticed, we may cease to wonder that the Jew 
remained incapable of conviction, and proof against 
every argument which might persuade him to 
embrace the Christian faith. 

These moral obstacles, which are the sub- 
stratum in which all other accidental ones inhere, 
and whence the latter derive their strength and 
permanency, are not, alas ! confined to the Jew. 
They result from that cc fault and corruption of 
the nature of every man that naturally is engen- 
dered of the offspring of Adam, whereby he is of 
his own nature inclined to evil," and c! is not sub- 
ject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." 
For so long as 66 the flesh thus lusteth against the 
spirit/' it will produce, amongst its other deadly 
fruits, " heresies a some, it may be, only slightly 



* Gal. v. 20. 



Lecture XVIII. 



459 



deviating from i( the truth as it is in Jesus/' but 
others also those ee damnable and destructive ones, 
by which men even deny the Lord that bought 
them, and draw back unto perdition V But let 
us remember the judgments which came upon that 
generation among whom our Lord preached ; and 
let us also reflect that these things, as well as those 
that befel their fathers in the wilderness, cc hap- 
pened unto them for ensamples, and are written 
for our admonition,, upon whom the ends of the 
world are come 0 /' Let the judgments, then,, with 
which the Lord visited his once favoured and 
peculiar people, excite us to i: remember how we 
have received and heard, and to hold fast, and to 
repent, if peradventure our works have not been 
found perfect before God, lest our candlestick be 
removed out of its place V' Hereby also let us be 
individually warned to prepare for the terrors and 
justice of that day, when cc the Son of man shall 
come in the glory of his Father, with his holy 
angels when cc all the nations shall be gathered 
before him when i: he will take vengeance on 
them that know not God, and that obey not the 
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." We have 
been ef grafted" into the body of his Church, and 
" partake of the root and fatness of the olive 6 : 



b 2 Pet. ii. I. 

A Rev. ii. 5 ; i». % 3, 



c 1 Cor. x. 11. 
1 Rom. xi. 17, &£. 



460 



Lecture XVIII. 



the natural branches being broken off, that we 
might be grafted in." " Well ;" says the Apostle 
to each one of us, cc because of unbelief they 
were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be 
not high-minded, but fear. For if God spared not 
the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare 
not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and 
severity of God ; on them which fell severity ; but 
toward thee goodness, if thou continue in his 
goodness ; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 
And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall 
be grafted in ; for God is able to graft them in 
again." — Here is, indeed, a salutary and awaken- 
ing caution. And its concluding words forcibly 
remind us of that glorious season, which is rapidly 
advancing on the wheels of time, when, cc the 
times of the Gentiles being fulfilled," the cc blind- 
ness which hath in part happened unto Israel" 
shall cease. 

Let us now more particularly direct our atten- 
tion to the remaining words of our text, with 
which our Lord concluded his discourse before the 
Sanhedrim. In them he upbraided the Jews for 
their unbelief and hardness of heart ; and in such 
a manner as will also upbraid us, if we are not 
" holding fast the form of sounds which we have 
heard, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." 

Did Jesus, as he passed on from laying before 
the Jews the evidences of his divine mission, 



Lecture XVIII. 



461 



declare that they " would not come to him that 
they might have life?" Had he declared, in the 
former part of his discourses, that ce whoso heareth 
his word, and believeth on him that sent him, 
hath everlasting life ; and that all judicial authority 
was committed to the Son, that all men should 
honour the Son even as they honour the Father ?" 
Was, then, the applause, respect, and adulation of 
man the object at which he aimed? This he 
explicitly renounced; this he ever refused. — "I re- 
ceive not honour from men." — He claimed it not, 
as if he needed any such thing ; nor as if that 
could accomplish his purposes, or increase his joy. 
He sought it not, except so far as it might lead to 
higher and more holy principles; he demanded 
it not, except upon the motive that ec he, who 
honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father 
which had sent him." If it were not of this cha- 
racter, he rejected, exposed, and repressed it. 
And little did he find of the honour which was 
due to him, who left the bosom of the Father that 
he might be made in the likeness of men. He was 
cc by men despised and rejected ; they hid, as it 
were, their faces from him, and esteemed him not." 
cc He came to his own, and his <5wn received him 
not." 

Do we inquire into the cause of their strange 
infatuation ? We may learn it from the mouth of 
him, cc who knew all men, and who needed not 



462 



Lecture XVIII. 



that any should testify of man, because he knew 
what was in man who exhibited throughout his 
ministry this intimate knowledge of the thoughts 
of the heart, who thereby confounded his enemies, 
and drew from Nathanael, and the woman of 
Samaria, and his own disciples, an acknowledg- 
ment of his divinity and prophetic character. 
cc I know you\" said he to the Jewish rulers, 
cc that ye have not the love of God in you." Do 
we say, this is a hard saying ? Yet can we not 
discover evident proofs of it in their principles and 
conduct ? Though is to love the Lord their God 
with all their heart, and soul, and strength/' was 
" the first and great commandment of their law/' 
did they not, 6C while they made their boast of the 
law, through breaking the law dishonour God V 
Did they not Ci make void his commandment 
through their traditions; and omit the weightier 

a We took some notice, in one or two former Lectures, of this 
instance of our Saviour's superhuman knowledge. It is often 
expressly stated by the Evangelists, and in many other cases it 
supplies a valuable illustration. See Newcome's Observations on 
our Lord's Conduct. Chap. ii. Sect. 7, 8. Dr. Gerard observes, 
that our Lord " scarce ever urged or appealed to it as an evidence." 
(Dissertations, p. 165.) He certainly never noticed it in the same 
form as he did the other arguments. But it appealed so directly 
to the heart and conscience that it was not so necessary to do it. 
But he did expressly notice it, and in a very varied manner. See 
John i. 50. Matt. ix. 2, 4. Luke vii. 39—50 ; viii. 45—48; 
ix. 47. John xiii. 10, 11 ; 18—27; xvi. 30, 31. Luke xxii. 6l. 
Mark xvi. 14. Luke xxiv. 38. John xx. 27. 



Lecture XVIII. 



463 



matters of the law, judgment and mercy, and the 
love of God V s Did not a scrupulous and spiritless 
formality and a specious hypocrisy distinguish 
some, while profaneness and licentiousness cha- 
racterized others ? Undoubtedly so it was ; and, 
therefore, we cease to wonder at those, who, in 
the face of a public miracle wrought on the sab- 
bath, arraigned, and then would fain have stoned 
Jesus, because he called God his Father; and 
who scrupled to enter into the judgment-hall lest 
they should be defiled,, at the very time when, by 
a foul conspiracy, they employed bribery and 
subornation to put Jesus to death, in order to 
satisfy their malignity. — But let us beware how 
we judge them, lest we condemn ourselves. For 
how imperfectly do we obey the word of Jesus, 
and believe in him that sent him ! How T little are 
we impressed with the majesty of God ! How little 
do we seek his glory, dread his wrath, or seek his 
favour ! Hereby do we prove that we are not 
Christians in deed and in truth, and that c( the 
love of God is not in us;" and we are not 
Christians in deed and in truth, if " the love of 
God is not in us/' For he loveth the Father, who 
loveth the only-begotten Son who hath declared 
him ; whom, ec though he has not seen him in the 
flesh, he loves, and in whom, though he sees him 
not, yet believing, he rejoices with joy unspeak- 
able and full of glory/' If we say that we love 



464 



Lecture XVIII. 



God, where then are the effects of it ? " He that 
loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can 
he love God whom he hath not seen ?" <c This 
is the love of God, that we keep his command- 
ments." " If any man love the world, the love of 
the Father is not in him. For all that is in the 
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the 
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, 
but of the world." Now if it be an evident and 
notorious truth, that there is much unchecked 
disobedience, and little habitual obedience, even 
in the Christian world ; does not this prove a pro- 
portionate want of the love of God ? If it be true, 
that he who loveth another will desire to possess 
a conformity of disposition, it follows that if we 
are not <e partakers of a divine nature, so as to 
escape the pollutions that are in the world through 
lust," we do not love God, and cannot be his 
obedient children ; and, therefore, cannot rightly 
value, esteem, and believe in him, whom God hath 
sent to cc call us with a holy calling." 

But mark another symptom and operation of 
unbelief. cc I am come in my Father's name, and 
ye receive me not; if another shall come in his 
own name, him ye will receive." — The history of 
the Jews, both as it respects their rejection of 
Jesus, and also their readiness to follow any 
impostor, who, for his own purposes, deluded 
them, affords a lamentable illustration of the just- 



Lecture XVIII. 



465 



ness of this declaration. We find them despising, 
opposing, and calumniating him who called them 
to holiness, and gave to his followers the promise 
of eternal life. Yet he alone came with the witness 
of the law, of the prophets, of the Baptist ; with 
the witness of his miraculous works, and of the 
Father himself. He alone ec sought not his own 
glory." All his instructions and labours and suffer- 
ings tended to the glory of God, and to the benefit 
of mankind. In what dark and melancholy colours, 
therefore, does the infatuation of the Jews appear, 
when we behold that " deceivableness of unright- 
eousness," which led myriads to follow, and perish 
with every interested, ambitious, and deluded 
upstart ; who succeeded so far, not because he 
could offer any evidence of his mission, but because 
he came in his own name, and encouraged those 
temporal hopes, to which that unhappy people have 
ever clung with such unparalleled pertinacity, even 
amidst the ruins of their city and temple, and in 
every country through which they have been dis- 
persed. — But they have not been the only people 
thus deluded. Not Jews only, but Pagans, and 
even Christians, received and followed the Arabian 
impostor, treading in the path of lust, murder, 
and ambition, without a single argument but such 
as would appeal to men's interests or sensuali- 
ties. — But here again let us also look at ourselves. 
Do we not live in times " when men will not 

G G 



466 



Lecture XVIII. 



endure sound doctrine?" Does not every novelty, 
whether in ceremony, manner, or doctrine, how- 
ever unmeaning", and however dangerous, attract 
its thousands both from among those who have 
not been taught better things, and from among 
those who have? The Christian minister pro- 
claims the truths of the Gospel, and the realities 
of eternity, to empty seats, to unwilling ears, to 
reluctant hearts ; while the ravings of pretended 
prophets, the rhapsodies of a Swedenbourg, a 
Brothers, and a Southcott, and even the venal 
prognostications of the fortune-telling beggar, can 
awaken the fears, obtain the confidence, and call 
forth the self-denial of deluded thousands. Nay, 
do we not all, because our interest is concerned in 
it, receive "the witness of men" without suspicion, 
even after we have repeatedly been deceived, and 
although we know that they are so powerfully bi- 
assed by interest? Yet by how many is (C the wit- 
ness of God, which he hath given us of his Son," 
neglected and undervalued, if not actually rejected! 
— These surely are facts, indicative of human folly, 
and humiliating to human pride ! They show how 
liable the mass of mankind is to imbibe the most 
gross delusions, how much all are occupied by 
present interest and gratification, how calamitously 
they are beguiled even with respect to terrestrial 
and sensible objects, and how little they are dis- 
posed to rise to the contemplation of spiritual 
things, and to look forward to eternal realities. 



Lecture XVIII. 



467 



But to proceed with our Lord's further remarks 
on the operation of such a frame of mind. " How 
can ye believe a , which receive honour one of 
another, and seek not the honour which cometh 
from God only?" Those there are, in every age, 
who never even frame a wish for divine appro- 
bation, or whose conduct, at least, is never in- 
fluenced by such a motive. Those of our Lord's 
contemporaries who were of such a description, 
would of course be negligent of his instructions, 
and little anxious to inquire into the nature of his 
claims. Nay, to such persons every system and 
modification of religion would be a subject of 
little interest, and would excite no attention, 
except so far as a compliance with custom might 
be necessary to preserve their reputation with 
others. But Ci the fear of man brought a snare " 
even upon some who were otherwise minded. 
It led some who believed in Jesus, ec not to confess 
him, lest they should be put out of the syna- 
gogue ; because they loved the praise of men 
more than the praise of God." The observance 
of their own religious ordinances, and the dis- 
charge of the duties of morality, were in others 
rendered useless to their own hearts, and worthless 
in the sight of God, because they cc did all their 
works to be seen of men." li Verily, they had 



a riw? AYNA20E v/xeT^ 7Ti<xT€va-ai, k.t. A. 



468 



Lecture XVIIL 



their reward," for the praise of men is easily 
obtained. But fc they had no reward from their 
Father which is in heaven for they did not 
these things " as seeing him who is invisible,, nor 
as having respect unto the recompense of the 
reward/' which he will bestow. But he requires 
the service of the heart ; and will ce reward 
openly/' because he has " seen in secret/' — Has 
this fear of human censure, this love of human 
applause., ceased to affect the external conduct, 
and to influence the motives of mankind? Does 
it not still afford an inducement to ec obey man 
rather than God/' to suppress the convictions of 
conscience, to disobey the dictates of the under- 
standings to sacrifice integrity to interest, and to 
purchase the friendship of the world by sinful 
compliances with its irreligious maxims and un- 
holy customs ? Yet if our ears are attuned only 
to the praises uttered by human lips, if our 
feelings and our fears depend for their quietness 
upon the smiles and frowns of our fellow-men, 
we cannot look forward in faith and hope to the 
time, when (C the Lord will make manifest the 
counsels of the hearts, and when every man shall 
have praise of God.'* We can derive no comfort 
from that prospect, if we are doing cc those things 
which, although highly esteemed among men, yet 
are abomination in the sight of God/' — if our 
(t hearts are not right in his sight/' — if we ct seek 



Lecture XVI 11. 



469 



not the honour which cometh from him only," 
by doing his will, and living to his glory. If 
this be not our desire and endeavour, c< we cannot 
believe in him, nor in Jesus Christ whom he has 
sent." We shall find religion an enemy to our 
peace; and our every wish and feeling will have 
a fatal tendency to make us shrink from the 
consideration of our present duty, and of our final 
accountableness. <c We cannot serve both God 
and Mammon." The service of two masters of 
opposite interests^ and therefore of contrary com- 
mands, is impracticable. The duties and events 
of every day will call upon us to make our choice 
between them. We must give a preference to 
the one or to the other. Our habitual conduct in 
consequence of that preference, will determine 
whether we ee seek for the honour that cometh 
from God only," or whether we are pursuing such 
a course, as will one day bring us to that sense of 
woful desertion, and to that feeling of unavailing 
regret, which once prompted the well known 
words, ie If I had served my God, as faithfully 
as I have served my King, he would not have 
forsaken me at my latter end." 

" Do not think," said our Lord in conclusion, 
<c that I will accuse you to the Father : there is 
one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye 
trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have 
believed me ; for he wrote of me. But if ye 



470 



Lecture XVIII. 



believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my 
words V* That an actual disbelief both of Moses 
and of the Prophets prevailed very extensively 
among the Jews in our Lord's time, we have the 
express testimony of Josephus; and it is obviously 
assigned by our Lord as one leading cause of their 
rejection of himself. If they had had a firm belief 
in Moses, and a thorough acquaintance with his 
predictions and institutions, and with his account 
of those of the earlier ages, they would have 
allowed, upon his authority, that they might ex- 
pect the Messiah to be a Prophet like their ori- 
ginal legislator, a spiritual Deliverer from moral 
evil, Ci a blessing to all nations/' His writings 
they had it in their power to study, and to com- 
pare with later revelations. If they disbelieved 
them, or if their prejudices and interested views 
were stronger than their convictions, or if they 
were ignorant of them, — from whatever cause they 
believed not what Moses taught, it was not likely, 
that they would receive the doctrine of Jesus ; for 
<e Moses wrote of him." It is asserted that a 
similar infidelity is far from uncommon among the 
Jews of this day, It would of course be of little 
avail to attempt to convince any such, that Jesus 
was the Messiah. We must consider them as 
consenting with all other Deists in a denial not 
only of the fact of Revelation, but also of its im- 
portance, and necessity, and probability. 



f 



Lecture XVIII. 471 

All who profess Christianity, thereby imply 
a confession of the divine authority both of the 
Old and New Testaments. Why, then, is the 
efficacy of Christianity so incomplete ? Why, but 
because all the causes and motives which we have 
already considered do in fact weaken, if they do 
not destroy, the belief of its certain and au- 
thoritative truth ? If it is really believed, why 
not also valued, and obeyed? A firm conviction 
of those things, which, if true, involve such an 
awful responsibility, and lead to such momentous 
consequences, would at least excite our desires, 
and arouse us to diligent endeavours. If we 
really are not disposed to deny the truth of the 
Scriptures, our obedience may be imperfect, and 
our impression of their importance insufficient 
and inefficacious, because our attention to them 
has probably been too slight. Yet will not the 
religion which we profess, and the Scriptures 
which we believe, convict us of criminality in this 
unhappy negligence ?— If, again, we repose our 
hopes of salvation on merely outward conformity 
to the ceremonial of Christianity, or if we hope 
that our obedience to some commands will com- 
pensate for our neglect of others, will not the 
Scriptures, which command and require all these, 
in this case also condemn us ? if we think that 
the dictates of unassisted reason are sufficient, and 
if therefore we are not careful to appeal cc to the 



472 



Lecture XVIIL 



law and to the testimony/' will not our own 
consciences tell us that our imperfect obedience 
requires that more perfect rule, and that better 
righteousness, which the Scriptures teach us ? 
And if we place our trust in the general belief 
of the mercy of God, will not the Scriptures again 
condemn us, because God has not promised mercy 
except to those, who have " repentance towards 
him, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? If we 
trust in uncertain riches, and in the sufficiency of 
our own skill and diligence, will not our own 
experience of the vanity and uncertainty of all 
earthly things, and the testimony of the Scripture 
to the certainty and importance of the things 
unseen, again condemn us ? — Jesus as yet con- 
demns us not. He now is preached to us as a 
Saviour, There is fc an appointed day," in which 
he will be our Judge. He needs not to accuse the 
sons of men. Moses and the prophets will accuse 
the Jews. Their word, and that which Jesus 
spoke, and the writings of his Apostles, will 
accuse us. " The same will judge us at the 
last day." And it will then appear, however it 
may seem to us now, that in whatsoever way we 
have (t departed from the living God/' we have 
evidenced the existence, and been subject to the 
influence of Cf an evil heart of unbelief." To all 
who are in such a state " the Gospel is hid." Its 
promises do not invite, and its terrors do not 



Lecture XVIII. 



473 



impress them. They feel not their need of pardon, 
and righteousness, and salvation ; and the Gospel, 
therefore, is not to them cc the power of God unto 
salvation/' because it is so only cc to him that 
believeth." 

"Examine yourselves, therefore, whether ye 
be in the faith." For if this Gospel was " first 
spoken to us by the Lord, and confirmed to us by 
them that heard him, how shall we escape if we 
neglect so great salvation ?" If we abide in un- 
belief, in error, or in unholiness, we shall have 
no sufficient plea to be excused, but shall be 
counted unworthy to be partakers of that cc eternal 
glory to which we are called by Christ Jesus." 
Are ye then meet for that inheritance ? Seriously, 
I beseech you, consider that question. — Ere an- 
other sabbath arrives, most of you, that are 
present here this day, will have separated from 
each other for a considerable season \ If the last 
week has announced to us the removal from life 
of two of the younger members of our body, what 
may be the events of so long a period ? J may not 
be permitted to conclude my appointed labours ; 
some of you may never return to resume your's. 
But, even if this should not be the case, are we 
prepared to meet the trials which may come upon 



* This Lecture was delivered June 3, 1821, two days after the 
division of the Easter term, and it completed the Spring course. 



474 



Lecture XVIII. 



us, should we be continued in life? How are we 
fitted to endure the reverses of fortune, the re- 
moval of our dearest relatives, and the lengthened 
days of sickness ? Are we armed with patience ? 
Are we prepared to receive such visitations tc to 
our profit, that we may be partakers of God's 
holiness?" But religion is requisite not only to sup- 
port and instruct us in the hour of adversity, but 
to keep us from falling in the still more slippery 
path of prosperity, to direct us in every duty, to 
preserve us in every temptation. It is c our light 
in darkness, and our life in death/ Therefore, 
ff beloved, building up yourselves on your most 
holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep your- 
selves in the love of God, looking for the mercy 
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal lifeV 



a Jude20, 21. 



LECTURE 



XIX 



THE IN FIDELITY OF THE JEWS IN ITS MORE ADVANCED 
STAGE NOTICED BY OUR LORD WITH ALLUSION 

TO A PASSAGE OF ISAIAH. THE OCCASION AND 

PURPORT OF HIS REMARKS; AND A SIMILAR AP- 
PLICATION OF THE SAME PASSAGE BY THE 

EVANGELIST ST. JOHN. OTHER CAUTIONS AND 

DIRECTIONS GIVEN BY OUR LORD RESPECTING 
THE TEMPER AND METHOD PROPER FOR RELIGIOUS 
INQUIRY. 

St. Matt. XIIL 14— 1 6. , 

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which 
saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not under- 
stand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. 
— For this people's heart is tuaxed gross, and their ears 
are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; 
lest at any time they should see zcith their eyes, and hear 
with their ears, and should understand zcith their heart, 
and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

To bestow on mankind a remedy for the diseases 
of the soul, and to heal the wounds which sin had 
inflicted, was the office and merciful purpose of 
him whose words we have cited. But the ' com- 
fortable words' in which he offered these benefits, 
gave the assurance of them only to such as c truly 
turned to him to those who were converted from 



476 



Lecture XIX. 



the error of their ways, who recognized both their 
own need of healing, and his power to heal ; who 
a came unto God by him/' who cs loved him, and 
kept his saying." None but persons of such 
a character could rightly esteem, and desire his 
interposition on their behalf, or even be fitted to 
participate in its benefits. 

Those who are described in the words of our 
text, were as yet far from having attained to such 
a state of mind. They had yet to perceive his 
divine character, and the commission with which 
he was charged. They had yet to understand the 
spiritual nature of Messiah's kingdom, and to dis- 
cern "the signs of the times" which indicated its 
approach. They had to purge their hearts from 
the grossness of their unscriptural opinions and 
carnal expectations ; to lend a willing ear to state- 
ments which combated their favorite prejudices, 
and which demanded of them conduct and sacri- 
fices little congenial to their wishes. They had to 
open the eyes, which had hitherto regarded only 
sensible and temporal good, to contemplate the 
blessedness and glory of that heavenly kingdom 
which should dignify them with spiritual and eternal 
privileges. They had to retrace the steps by which 
they were now fast advancing towards a determi- 
nation not to believe, and towards a voluntary 
insensibility to the force of the most decisive 
evidence. — When Jesus had noticed the symp- 



Lecture XIX. 



477 



toms and fatal operation and increasing influence 
of unbelief, he passed on to congratulate and en- 
courage the faithful few, who were afterwards 
to be his witnesses throughout the world, and who, 
though yet deficient in knowledge, discovered 
a readiness and desire to obtain an increase of it. 
" But blessed/' said he, cc are your eyes, for they 
see ; and your ears, for they hear. For verily 
I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous 
men have desired to see those things which ye 
see, and have not seen them ; and to hear those 
things which ye hear, and have not heard them." 

We also, through the labours and writings 
of these disciples of Jesus^ have been made ac- 
quainted with those cc mysteries of the kingdom 
of heaven/' which were unfolded to them. Yet 
although these heavenly truths were in old time 
the subjects of promise and of prophecy, and the 
objects of earnest expectation to those who had 
not as yet seen their accomplishment ; and al- 
though they have exercised the faith and joy 
and gratitude of thousands, who, since their full 
revelation, have derived from them consolation, 
and hope and victory ; yet comparatively few, 
even now, are they, who see and hear and un- 
derstand them, so as to seek and embrace them, 
and to hold them fast. Many are they who reject 
and despise them, and who even endeavour to 
beguile others of their consolations in time, and 



478 



Lecture XIX. 



of their hopes for eternity,, by the revival of 
objections long since refuted, and often wholly 
groundless. Many are they also, whose instability,, 
self-indulgence, and depravity make them rejoice 
in any pretext, by which they may entrench them- 
selves in the short-lived and perilous security of 
unbelief. — Yet is truth ever the same ; and, like 
its divine Author, hath cc no variableness, neither 
shadow of turning/' The hope set before us, 
the grounds of that hope, and the character of 
those, to whom alone it belongs, change not. 
Nay, even error and infidelity, though diversified 
in form, and modified by circumstances, are in all 
ages substantially the same as to their sources, 
and motives, and operations. 

We observed in the commencement of our 
Lectures, that our Lord's discourses very fre- 
quently touch upon this important head. He 
seldom either states to us his pretensions and 
doctrine, or enlarges upon the evidence of them, 
without in some way appealing to the conscience, 
and laying open^ the depravity and waywardness 
of the human heart. Almost every passage which 
has been made the subject of our meditation has 
furnished some appropriate topic of practical ap- 
peal; and our last Lecture was wholly occupied in 
the consideration of the infidelity of the Jews, and 
of those moral causes, to which our Lord ascribed 
its origin in the close of his discourse before the 



Lecture XIX. 



479 



Sanhedrim. In our two remaining Lectures we 
purpose to take some further notice of several 
detached passages on the same subject. In this, 
such will be noticed as speak of infidelity in a 
more advanced stage, and those also which may 
caution us against its approaches, and apprize us 
of that temper and method, which must be pur- 
sued by the impartial and successful inquirer. 
In our next we shall have to consider infidelity 
in its last, confirmed, and irremediable stage, and 
those sanctions and declarations,, by which our 
Lord required us to iC believe the Gospel." 

The occasion of the words of our text was, 
the inquiry of the disciples why Jesus adopted 
the use of Parables. The propriety and meaning 
of his answer will readily be discovered, if it be 
remembered, that he spoke to the people without 
parables, until the time that his miracles were 
attributed to the co-operation of Beelzebub, and 
"a sign from heaven" was demanded by those, 
whom all his former miracles had failed to con- 
vince, and yet whose cavils against them had been 
unanswerably refuted a . This obduracy continued 
to characterize a large proportion of our Lord's 
hearers, more especially a majority of those in 
power. Yet had he many truths yet to declare 
to them, some of which were even still more 



See Matt. xii. and xiii. 



4S0 



Lecture XIX. 



likely to excite their prejudice and opposition ; 
and therefore,, because of their unbelief, he veiled 
them under the figurative language of parables. 
Frequently they were able to perceive the general 
design of what he delivered in this manner, and 
were on such occasions offended and exasperated. 
Not that such truths were designed to be concealed 
from them for ever. They were only partially 
concealed even for a time. But this method of 
delivery was sufficient to prove that Jesus had 
himself stated all these unwelcome truths ; and 
not only did he explain all things to his disciples 
in private, but informed them that they were de- 
signed for universal publication, after the objection 
occasioned by his humble appearance was removed, 
and the evidence of his character and authority- 
was completed by his entering into glory 3 . Our 
Lord expressly assigns these reasons for his 
adoption of the parabolic mode of instruction. 
The more teachable character of his disciples 
enabled him to proceed in imparting to them 
fuller instructions; and the office, which they were 
afterwards to sustain when the full publication of 
the Gospel should commence., rendered it necessary 
thus to inform and discipline them. But in con- 
sequence of the non-improvement and rejection 



a See Matt. xiii. 36, 51, 52. Mark iv. 10—25, 33, 34. 
Matt. x. 25—27. Luke viii. 10—18. 



Lecture XIX. 



481 



of what he had before taught, it was both just 
and necessary to refrain from communicating to 
others the same knowledge. It could as yet serve 
no good end, though he cc spake to them the word 
in parables, as they were able to bear it." "\t is 
given unto you/' said he to his disciples, fc to 
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven ; 
but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, 
to him shall be given, and he shall have more 
abundance ; but whosoever hath not, from him 
shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore 
speak I to them in parables ; because they seeing 
see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do 
they understand. And in them is fulfilled the 
prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye 
shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing 
ye shall see, and not perceive. For this people's 
heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of 
hearing, and their eyes have they closed ; lest at 
any time they should see with their eyes, and 
hear with their ears, and understand with their 
heart, and should be converted, and I should heal 
them." 

In the text our Lord distinctly asserts that 
unbelief was generally prevalent among those, to 
whom he ministered the words of eternal life; 
and he so describes it, in the prophetic language 
of Isaiah, as to shew that he knew that it had 
already assumed a decided and confirmed cha- 

H H 



482 



Lecture XIX. 



racter. He had previously declared, before the 
council, that he was aware that cc they were not 
willing to come to him that they might have life 
and he then endeavoured to awaken them to 
serious reflection by referring them to several 
sinister and unholy principles which were likely to 
entangle them in the fetters of unbelief. The fact 
was soon found to be such as he had intimated. 
The longer he laboured among them, the more 
were prejudice, and calumny, and opposition 
excited. cc Because he told them the truth, they 
would not believe him." They closed their ears 
against the reception of truths so unwelcome, and, 
as they thought, so needless. Hearing with the 
outward ear, they understood not with the heart ; 
like their fathers of old to whom the prophets had 
been sent. Every faculty of the soul was armed 
and fortified against the supposition that such a 
teacher could be their Messiah, or that they had 
need of any change in religion, or indeed of any 
blessing which the Messiah could bestow, except 
deliverance from national subjection, and the 
possession of national glory. Seeing therefore 
with their eyes the miracles of Jesus, they per- 
ceived not the finger of God therein revealing 
itself, and, as it were, pointing out Jesus as that 
cc his beloved servant, on whom he had put his 
; Spirit.""! Not that they could disprove, or that 
they ever attempted to deny the reality of the 



Lecture XIX. 



483 



miracles. But they were not disposed to admit 
their evidence, because they had no inclination to 
admit the pretensions of him who wrought them. 
They could behold the exhibition of the most 
signal miracles, without any other emotion than 
a feeling" of jealousy and indignation. Some, in 
consequence of having been eye-witnesses of the 
raising of Lazarus, immediately went to inform 
the Pharisees; and they, avowedly on the very 
ground of the reality and notoriety of these " many 
miracles," coolly deliberated on the safest and 
surest method of putting him who wrought them 
to death. Yet, at the same time, they (c built the 
sepulchres of the prophets, and boasted how, if 
they had lived in the days of their fathers, they 
would not have been sharers in their blood- 
guiltiness/' — The pure, perspicuous, and heart- 
searching discourses of Jesus seemed to have as 
little permanent influence as his miracles. Many 
even listened with no other feeling or design, 
than " that they might entangle him in his talk, 
and have somewhat of which to accuse him/' So 
that fact fully justified the assertion of Jesus 
respecting them, in allusion to the words of Isaiah. 
" Their heart had waxed gross, and their ears were 
dull of hearing, and their eyes had they closed, in 
such a manner as if they had determined to secure 
themselves against any probability that at any 
time they should see with their eyes, and hear with 
H h 2 



484 



Lecture XIX. 



their ears, and understand with their heart, -and be 
converted, and he should heal them\" 

Our Lord applies the words of the prophet 
more especially to their rejection of his doctrine. 
But still, as we have just observed, that rejection 
had then recently been shewn to be decided and 
irrecoverable, because the doctrine was rejected 
in defiance of those miracles, by which he 
established its divine authority, and because they 
had even ventured to propagate the most malig- 
nant cavils both against Jesus and his miracles. 
But it is worthy of remark, that St. John cites the 
same, and also another passage of Isaiah, with 
more immediate reference to the miracles of Jesus, 
after he closed his own narrative of them. He 
had recorded the caution of Jesus to the people to 
ff walk while they had the light, lest darkness 
should come upon them." " But," adds the 
Evangelist, " though he had done so many mira- 
cles before them, yet they believed not on him. 
That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be 
fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed 
our report, and to whom hath the arm of the 
Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not 
believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath 
blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that 
they should not see with their eyes, nor understand 



* Isai. vi. 9, 10.— Compare Ezek. xii. 2. 



Lecture XIX. 



485 



with their heart, and be converted, and I should 
heal them b ." To this state of mind the Evangelist 
attributes an incapacity for believing the report of 
the prophets respecting him, te who, when he was 
seen, was without form or comeliness, and had no 
beauty that men should desire him ; and whom, 
therefore, they despised and rejected, and esteemed 
not." By all who were affected in this manner 
" the arm of the Lord," which upheld., and co- 
operated with Jesus, was not discovered; and 
therefore he who was "sent of the Father, and 
sealed and sanctified by him," was esteemed 
" stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." No 
other than such delusion, and obduracy, could be 
the consequence of the state of mind which is 
described by the prophet, and which is brought 
before our notice, both by our Lord and his 
Apostles 0 . 

But St. John seems to cite the words as if it 
were God who had thus " blinded their eyes, and 
hardened their heart." And St. Mark and St. 
Luke also report our Lord's citation of the passage, 
as if Jesus adopted the use of parables in order to 
give occasion to this blindness and unbelief 1 . — We 
have already remarked that it is, in a sense, true 
that Jesus employed parables to conceal some 



b John xii. 37, &c. c See also Acts xxviii. 26. Rom. xi. 8. 
«* Mark iv. 11 — 13. Luke viii. 10. 



486 



Lecture XIX. 



obnoxious truths for a time. But it is also equally 
clear, that St. Matthew teaches us that this very 
blindness and unbelief was itself the occasion of 
his first use of the parabolic method. But if we 
consult the passage as it stands in the prophet 
himself, we find that Jesus, in the latter words 
of our text, has rather interpreted than cited the 
latter part of the prophecy. For the prophecy 
itself has the form of expression which is found in 
the other three Evangelists. " Go and tell this 
people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not, and 
see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of 
this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and 
shut their eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, and 
hear with their ears, and understand with their 
heart, and convert, and be healed. 5 ' But it does 
follow even from hence, that this ec shutting up in 
unbelief ' is wholly, and in the first instance to be 
ascribed to divine influence on the mind. This is 
a phraseology adopted in many other places of the 
prophetic writings ; and it is designed only to 
express the lamentable certainty with which the 
event is foretold. And we will illustrate this pecu- 
liarity of the prophetic style by one citation from 
the prophet Jeremiah. cc The Lord said unto me, 
Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, 
I have this day set thee over the nations and over 
the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to 
destroy, and to throw down, and to build, and to 



Lecture XIX. 



487 



plant." This passage evidently speaks only of the 
commission given to the prophet to announce the 
certainty with which those things could come to 
pass, of which he is figuratively said to be the 
instrument. No other interpretation could for 
a moment be entertained. Upon the very same 
principle should we interpret the passage under 
consideration. It predicts the existence, and 
prevalence, and fatal strength of unbelief among 
those, who heard the words of God, and had the 
arm of the Lord Revealed before them. But it 
ascribes not the effect to God as the cause. The 
cause was in themselves, and resulted from the 
depravity of the human heart. It is not the God 
of heaven, but c( the god of this world that blinds 
the minds of them that believe not a ." " No man 
can say when he is tempted, I am tempted of 
God ; for he is but drawn away, and enticed of his 
own lustV The Spirit of God strives with man, 
to convince, recover, and reform him. But we 
must add, with all faithfulness and admonition, 
that he does not always strive with man ; that he 
may be grieved and resisted, and that his holy 
influence may be quenched. Then, indeed, do 
we allow that man is given over to a judicial 
blindness; that they, " who like not to retain 
God in their knowledge 0 , who believe not the 



a 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. b James i. 13 — IJ. c Rom. i. 28. 



488 



Lecture XIX. 



truth, and have pleasure in unrighteousness, are at 
length given over to a reprobate mind." Because 
they " received not the love of the truth, that they 
might be saved, God sends upon them strong 
delusion, that they should believe a lie a ." And 
therefore are we called upon to " suffer the word 
of exhortation" respecting this matter. There- 
fore are we bound to es teach every man, and to 
warn every man." Therefore do we beseech every 
one to inquire respecting himself, whether he has, 
with the heart, and with a true and lively faith, 
believed in Jesus Christ ; or whether there be any 
unsatisfied doubt, any secret reserve, any unmodi- 
fied lust still abiding within him. For ought he 
knows, such disorders of the soul, if they receive not 
a timely check, may generate in the end a deadly 
and incurable malady. The understanding may 
be blinded, the will become alienated from the life 
of God, and the conscience be rendered insensible 
to every warning and visitation. He who is not 
recovered from such a state, tc will wax worse and 
worse, deceiving and being deceived," and cc not 
having the spirit of Christ, and therefore being none 
of his/' may finally "make shipwreck of faith, and 
of a good conscience ;" and " not understand, nor 
be converted, nor be healed." 

" But, beloved, we are persuaded better things 



* 2 Thess. ii. 10— 1£. 



Lecture XIX. 



489 



of you, and things that accompany salvation, 
though we thus speak." Yet our Lord himself 
exhorted his disciples to ec watch and pray, lest 
they should enter into temptation and assigned 
for the precept a reason, which our own expe- 
rience very abundantly confirms, that even when 
fe the spirit of man is willing, the flesh may be 
weak V Let us not, therefore, shrink from the 
most minute and awakening view of the dangers 
which beset us ; that thus we may be excited to 
seek the peace, and rest, and joy, which Jesus 
promised and bequeathed to his disciples. If we 
have already followed him, let us not, "having 
put our hand to the plough, look back/' and thus 
sc unfit ourselves for the kingdom of God c ." But 
rather let us cc sit down, and count the cost, and 
consider whether, having begun to build, we shall 
be able to finish." Let us ascertain our strength 
for this long and arduous warfare, and see ce whe- 
ther we be able, with ten thousand, to meet him 
that cometh against us with twenty thousand* 1 ." If 
cc in the world we have tribulation," let us be 
cheered by the recollection that ' c our Master hath 
overcome the world 6 ." And when, a because ini- 
quity abounds, the love of many waxes cold," and 
when others, who iC have endured for a season, 



b Matt, xx vi. 41. 

4 Luke xiv. 28 — 30, 81. 



c Luke ix. 62. 
e John xvi? 33, 



490 



Lecture XIX. 



in time of temptation fall away V let us remem- 
ber the words which Jesus repeated on more than 
one occasion, ce He that endureth to the end, 
the same shall be saved V 

We have not alluded to difficulties and temp- 
tations which have no existence, or of which 
Jesus did not forewarn mankind, when stating 
to them the nature and design of his Religion. 
There are " fightings without, and fears within." 
There are trials to be endured, and sacrifices to 
be made, if need and occasion be, which deter 
the unbeliever, and try the stedfastness of the 
believer. It was not without reason that Simeon 
declared of the holy child Jesus, cc Behold this 
Child is set for the fall and rising again of many 
in Israel, and for a sign that shall be spoken 
against, that the thoughts of many hearts may 
be revealed c ." It was a declaration which Jesus 
himself afterwards confirmed. Both by various 
general statements, and in his instructions to his 
disciples, and also in his answers to several who 
professed a readiness to follow him, he has suf- 
ficiently made it known that ec if any man come 
after him, he must deny himself, and take up his 
cross daily, and follow him 6 /' He prepared his 
Apostles and early followers to expect ec scourg- 



a Matt. xxiv. 12. Mark iv. 17. Luke viii. 13. 

b Matt. x. 22 ; xxiv. 13. c Luke ii. 34, 35. d Luke ix. 23. 



Lecture XIX. 



491 



ings, and persecutions, and death, and to be hated 
of all men, and of all nations, for his name's sake," 
even by all that numerous class in all ages, who 
" have not known the Father nor him 6 ." He 
distinctly told them that though ee in him they 
should have peace" of mind, yet he came not 
to send external peace on earth, but a sword;" and 
that cc a man's foes would be those of his own 
household — Yet he made no allowance for 
apostacy even in this extreme case : he appealed 
to them for the reasonableness of what he spoke, 
by the question, (C What would a man be profited, 
if he should gain the whole world, and lose his 
own soul?" For what earthly thing is so precious, 
as to be <c given in exchange for the soul s ?" 
He therefore distinctly stated the absolute ne- 
cessity of stedfastness, the danger of swerving 
from it, and the reward and true policy of main- 
taining it. cc He that loveth father or mother 
more than me, is not worthy of me ; and he that 
loveth son or daughter more than me, is not 
worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross^ 
and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 
He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that 
loseth his life for my sake shall find it h ." " He 



e Matt. x. 17, 22 ; xxiv. 9. John xv. 20; xvi. 3. 

f John xvi. 33. Matt. x. 34—36. s Matt. xvi. 26. 

h Matt. x. 37—39. " ~ ' 



492 



Lecture XIX. 



that is ashamed of me, and of my words, — he that 
shall deny me before men,— of him will I be 
ashamed, and him will I deny before the angels 
of God\ Those that confess me before men, 
I will confess before the angels of God." He 
promises to those, that forsake all for his sake, 
that " they shall receive manifold more in this 
present time, with persecutions, and in the world 
to come life everlastingV Now it is clear, from 
the very nature of the case, that all this is neither 
unreasonable nor unnecessary ; and although we 
of this age and country are not called to endure 
such persecutions, in testimony either of our 
fidelity to the Gospel itself, or to its essential 
doctrines, yet we know not how soon it may 
come upon us. A generation has scarcely passed 
away since such a trial came upon all the pro- 
fessing Christians of a neighbouring nation. 
Though we are not likely to experience the 
persecuting intolerance of Paganism, nor the 
effects of the " exceeding madness " of a Jew's 
malignity against the Gospel, nor, we trust, the 
restoration to power of the most intolerant pro- 
fessors of the Christian faith, who once lighted 
up the fires of persecution in the cities and Uni- 
versities of England, and perpetrated the most 
unheard of massacres ;— yet have we not found 



* Mark viii. 38 ; Matt. x. 32, 33. 



b Mark x. 28—30. 



Lecture XIX. 



493 



that Deism itself, which so proudly boasts of its 
philanthropy, and disclaims all bigotry and into- 
lerance, can surpass all other systems in the 
<c cruelty of its tender mercies/' and in the dead- 
liness of its hatred to Christianity? The intimations 
of those things "that are to come hereafter/' 
recorded in the Scriptures of truth, do not permit 
us to hope that such scenes will never again be 
exhibited on this earth. Have we, then, that 
Jirm conviction of the truth of the Gospel, and 
of the value and certainty of its promises, and 
that devotedness also to the cause of God and of 
truth, which would enable us to retain our in- 
tegrity in such a fiery trial ? Those who are not 
ready to make such sacrifices, and to practise 
such self-denial, if any circumstances should arise 
to require them, cannot be the disciples of Jesus. 
Yet how many are even unable to endure the 
contemptuous look and the slanderous word! How 
many are more than ashamed of Christianity, and 
even are proud of their disregard both of its threats 
and promises ! This fear of man, this unhappy 
vanity, this love of self and of this world, are 
fertile sources of infidelity and inconsistency. 

Our Lord has also cautioned us against the 
unhappy influence of worldly wealth. " How 
hardly shall they that have riches — they that trust 
in riches — enter into the kingdom of God c !" We 



c Mark x.,23, 24. 



494 



Lecture XIX. 



know too well how readily our hearts become 
attached to the cc good things of this life/' — how 
soon they are " overcharged with the cares of 
this life," — how rapidly covetousness is generated, 
and how firmly it seats itself in the soul, — not to 
understand how soon cc the word of God becometh 
unfruitful, when choked by the cares of the world, 
and the deceitfulness of riches a ." — ft Take heed 
then, and beware of covetousness b ;" and seek 
first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness 0 ;" 
like the merchant in the parable, "even selling 
all that ye have, to purchase the pearl of great 
price d ." 

But not only must the love of riches be aban- 
doned, and " poverty of spirit " be cultivated, but 
purity of heart must also be maintained. The 
love of sin naturally disposes us to " love darkness 
rather than light, because our deeds are evil e ." 
Yet the sin that most easily besets us, though as 
dear, and seemingly as necessary to our comfort, 
as cc a right hand, or a right eye," must be cc cut 
off and cast from us, that we may enter into life f ." 
We must bring into our Christian life, not only 
the hatred of sin, but also the love of holiness, 
and a readiness to practise it, if we are rightly to 



a Luke xvi. 25 ; xxi. 34. Matt. xiii. 22. 

b Luke xii. 15. c Matt. vi. 33. d Matt. xiii. 4fo 

e Johniii. 19. f Matt, xviii. 8, 9. ' * 



Lecture XIX. 



495 



apprehend either the divinity and excellency of 
our religion, or to make progress therein, or not 
to dislike and shrink from it. cc If any man be 
willing to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine 
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of my- 
self s '." — And we must make continual advances in 
every good and holy purpose, improving the graces 
to which we have already attained, and desiring 
and seeking after an increase of them. For 
et whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he 
shall have more abundantly ; but whosoever hath 
not, from him shall be taken away even that he 
hath\" After we have cc done all," we are but 
" unprofitable servants;" but he> who is ff an un- 
profitable servant" because he hath not employed 
the talent committed to him, " will be cast into 
outer darkness/' — And that the necessity of walk- 
ing in all purity of heart and life may be more 
deeply impressed upon our minds, let us hear 
other declarations of our Lord. cc That servant, 
which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not 
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be 
beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, 
and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be 
beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever 
much is given, of him shall be much required ; 
and to whom men have committed much, of him 



5 John vii. 1/. 



Matt. xiii. 12. 



496 



Lecture XIX. 



they will ask the moreV cc In that day/' said our 
Master and our future Judge, ec I will profess unto 
them, that have not done the will of my Father 
which is in heaven, 1 never knew you, depart from 
me, all ye that work iniquity 10 ." 

Coming to the study of the truth as it is in 
Jesus, with purity of heart and purposes of obe- 
dience, we must also come with docility and in 
humility. " For except we be converted and be 
as little children," and receive the kingdom of God 
as meek, teachable, guiltless infants, " we shall 
not enter therein 0 ." We shall never either rightly 
apprehend its nature, or be impressed by its pro- 
mises. They that are cc proud," as well as " they 
that do wickedly/' will inherit not favour, but 
shame. For said Jesus again, " Whosoever 
exalteth himself shall be abased, but he that 
humbleth himself shall be exalted d /\ 

And lastly, in carrying on the important in- 
quiry after divine truth, we must ever remember 
that it must be learnt from God; from his written 
word, from the words and upon the authority of 
Jesus, who " spoke as the Father gave him com- 
mandment/'-— and through the enlightening, and 
sanctifying, and transforming influence of that 
Holy Spirit, who can ' give us a right judgement 



a Luke xii. 47, 48. b Matt. vii. 21—23. c Matt, xviii. 3. 
d Mai. iv. J. Luke xiv. 11. and xviii. 14. 



Lecture XIX. 



49? 



in all things, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts 
by his holy inspiration, that so we may think 
those things that be good, and by his merciful 
guiding perform the same/ This our Lord has 
distinctly taught in that important, though difficult, 
discourse respecting the " living bread which came 
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world/' 
— " But I said unto you, That ye also have seen 
me, and believe not. 'All that the Father giveth 
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me 
I will in no wise cast out/ ' This is the Father's 
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath 
given me I should lose nothing, but should raise 
it up again at the last day. And this is the will 
of him that sent me, that every one which seeth 
the Son, and believeth on him, may have ever- 
lasting life ; and I will raise him up at the last 
day/ c Murmur not among yourselves. No man 
can come unto me, except the Father, which hath 
sent me, draw him. It is written in the prophets, 
And they shall be all taught of God 6 . Every 
man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned 
of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any 
man hath seen the Father, save he which is of 
God, he hath seen the Father*?' — I need scarcely 
to repeat to you, what I have already stated, as 
collected from a careful examination of these 



• Isai. liv. 13. Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. f John vi. 3/ — 46. 

I I 



498 



Lecture XIX. 



words, that if we are so to believe on the Son 
as to obtain at the last day a resurrection to eter- 
nal life, we must learn of the Father by the 
witness which he has given of his Son. We must 
be taught of him through his word, and be drawn 
by his Spirit, by that holy Spirit of his promise, 
which " he giveth to them that ask him ;" and 
which cc shall be in us a well of water springing 
to everlasting life refreshing and fertilizing our 
souls, and causing us to (c wait for the hope of 
righteousness by faith V 

We must, therefore, diligently avail ourselves 
of those means of grace, by which the know- 
ledge of God may be obtained and increased, — 
our affections drawn heaven-wards, — our holy 
resolutions strengthened ; until we are brought 
into that happy state, of which our Saviour speaks 
in those mysterious, yet consolatory words : ff If 
a man love me, he will keep my words ; and my 
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, 
and make our abode with him." But if, on the 
other hand, we neglect those c means of grace' 
which are designed to communicate a ' hope of 
glory/ — if we neglect to pray for c God's con- 
tinual help/ — if we are wilfully ignorant of his 
word, — if we are puffed up with a conceit of 



a See 1 John ii. 20—27; iv. 1—6, and 12—16; v. 9—13. 
Luke xi. 13. Johniv. 14. Gal. v. 5. James i. 5, 17, &Q. 



Lecture XX. 



499 



our own sufficiency and wisdom, — if we are 
averse from the holy ways and requirements of 
God, and prefer the lusts, and riches, and in- 
dulgences of the world, to the promised blessings 
of eternity, — if we are unwilling to practise 
patience and self-denial, — if the fear of man 
deters us from duty, and the applause of man is 
more esteemed than the approbation of God, — if 
we are suffering any of these propensities to grow 
and gather strength within us, then are we in 
imminent danger of apostacy and infidelity. 

Let our's, then, be the endeavour and the 
prayer, that we may ever share in the character 
and hopes of those, of whom Jesus said, cc My 
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they 
follow me ; and I give unto them eternal life, and 
they shall never perish ; neither shall any man 
pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which 
gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is 
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I 
and my Father are oneV For, upon hearing 
such words as these, we may say with the beloved 
Apostle, te We know that the Son of God is come, 
and hath given us an understanding, that we may 
know him that is true ; and we are in him that 
is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is 
the true God, and eternal life V 



b John x. 27 — 30. 

1 1 2 



c 1 John v. 20. 



LECTURE XX. 



our lord's NOTICE OF INFIDELITY IN ITS 

LAST AND CONFIRMED STAGE. THE BLASPHEMY 

AGAINST THE SON OF MAN, AND THAT AGAINST 
THE HOLY GHOST. THE DEMAND OF ADDI- 
TIONAL EVIDENCE, WHEN THAT WHICH IS 

OFFERED HAS BEEN REJECTED. SANCTIONS 

WITH WHICH THE GOSPEL IS ACCOMPANIED. 

CONCLUSION. 



St. Luke XII. 8— 10. 

Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before 
men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the 
angels of God: but he that denieth me before men f 
shall be denied before the angels of God. And who- 
soever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it 
shall be forgiven him ; but unto him that blasphemeth 
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. 

Conformably to the directions of the pious foun- 
der of this Lecture, I now appear before you for 
the twentieth time, that I may on this day complete 
the task assigned to me. It has been my endea- 
vour to lay before you, in the very words of Jesus 
himself, the claims which he advanced, and the 
arguments by which he supported them. Adopting 
the same method, I have also considered the 



Lecture XX. 



501 



infidelity of the Jews, in connexion with those 
moral causes in which it originated ; also calling 
your attention, to the statements in which our 
Lord himself has specified those dispositions of 
mind, which alone can lead to an honest, im- 
partial, and successful inquiry. But I should be 
leaving" unnoticed, an important department of my 
subject, did I not proceed to consider infidelity, 
in its last, and confirmed, and irremediable stage ; 
and also to bespeak your attention to some of 
those passages, in which our Lord has declared 
the awful responsibility of mankind, with regard 
to their reception, or rejection of his message. 

Among the circumstances which finally ope- 
rated to confirm the infidelity of a great body of 
the Jewish people, we may reckon the opposition 
and ultimate triumph of the rulers, — and the dis- 
appointment of those hopes of a temporal king- 
dom, which the multitude had entertained, and 
which had probably been revived by the solemn 
entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. None of the 
rulers or Pharisees had openly professed their 
belief in him ; and those who were disposed so 
to do, suppressed their convictions, because the 
majority of their brethren had decided upon the 
excommunication of all such, and had issued a 
proclamation for the apprehension of Jesus. The 
same motives, strengthened by the example of 
their superiors, operated very powerfully on the 



502 



Lecture XX. 



multitude, so that they concurred (( with loud 
voices/' in the demand that he should be crucified. — 
When Jesus had predicted that "the Son of man 
should be lifted up," they had objected, in answer 
to his remark, that they conceived " from the law, 
that Christ abideth for ever." — Again, both the 
people and their rulers knew, from the prophets, 
that " the Christ would come from Bethlehem, 
the city of David." But they took it for granted, 
that, because Jesus had principally resided in 
Galilee, he was a Galilean. — But they had also other 
doubts respecting his Messiahship. They thought 
that they knew " whence he was/' that he was 
cc the Son of Joseph/' and that ce his brethren 
were living among them/' whereas they expected 
that "when Christ should come, no man would 
know whence he was." Besides, the mean occu- 
pation and obscurity of his supposed parents, and 
the poverty and external lowliness of his own 
condition, contributed still further to increase 
their prejudices against his claims to be the 
Messiah. — As a person obviously professing sanc- 
tity of character, and the office of a divine teacher, 
he also appeared to act inconsistently, and in 
opposition to the precepts of their laws, and the 
custom of their own teachers, by adopting an 
unreserved and familiar intercourse with persons 
of all ranks and characters. " He came eating and 
drinking/' observing no particular abstinence, as 



Lecture XX. 



they supposed that a prophet ought to do ; and 
they were therefore disposed to call him "a glut- 
tonous man and a wine-bibber/' He was "the 
friend of publicans and sinners/' and went to eat 
bread with them. He suffered them (C to touch 
him/' as if he had not known their real character, 
as a prophet ought to have done. He did not, 
either by his actions, or by his remarks in defence 
of them, appear to pay sufficient respect to the 
sabbath ; and they therefore contended that he was 
ce not of God, because he kept not the sabbath- 
day/' in the manner conformable to their notions. 
These objections proceeded from their own 
ignorance of the law and prophets, of his real 
history and original, and of the design of his 
mission; — or from an impatient wish that he should 
shew himself openly to the world, — or from the 
fear of the ruling Jews, — or from inattention to 
the miracles which he wrought before them, to 
the arguments by which he defended himself, and 
to the future evidences which he predicted ; by 
which all their objections to his lowly original, 
and humble demeanour would be answered. Even 
at the time, they saw that there were many cir- 
cumstances, for which they could not consistently 
account, except upon principles which would in- 
duce them to believe in him. For " how could 
he know letters, having never learned ?" "Whence 
had he such wisdom^ and such mighty works?" 



504 



Lecture XX. 



They were "astonished at his doctrine/' they 
allowed that he was " a good man ;" and they 
justly asked each other, ff When Christ cometh, 
will he do more miracles than this man doeth?" 
So there was "a division among the people con- 
cerning him/' And though some of them thought 
that "the words, which he spoke, were not the 
words of one possessed," yet many scrupled not to 
assert that to his face, and to propagate the same 
insinuation among the people. — When he alluded 
to the murderous designs harboured against him, 
they answered, ?.* Thou hast a devil ; who goeth 
about to kill thee?" implying that he was under 
the influence of a lying Spirit 3 . — When he ap- 
peared to attack their supposed privileges as the 
children of Abraham, they answered, " Say we 
not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a 
devil?" Imputing to him the enmity of a Samari- 
tan against their law and national privileges; and 
the erroneous views of one possessed \ — And when 
he further told them, that " if a man kept his 
saying, he should never see death," they answered, 
" Now we know that thou hast a devil c ." — And 
some of those who thought that he "deceived the 
people," said to their associates, " He hath a devil 
and is mad ; why hear ye him d ?" 



a John vii. 20. 
* Ibid. x. 20, 21. 



b John viii. 48. 



c Ver. 52. 



Lecture XX. 



505 



Such, and so various, were the instances of 
that which our Lord terms "the blasphemy against 
the Son of man which, as it proceeded in a 
great measure from ignorance, and from pre- 
judices for which there was at that time a plau- 
sible excuse, might therefore be repented of, and 
obtain forgiveness. But the same imputation was, 
upon some other occasions, propagated with a 
different connexion and application, which may 
perhaps be found to approach at least to crimi- 
nality of a deeper dye, if not actually to constitute 
that guilt to which forgiveness is denied. The 
blasphemy or evil speaking, was not merely 
directed against the person, and conduct, and 
doctrine of the Son of man, but even against the 
evidences by which the divinity of his mission 
was supported. The cavils to which we allude 
were of two kinds, one, which imputed the miracles 
already wrought to diabolical agency ; the other, 
which complained of the absence of a particular 
species of evidence, which they chose to require, 
implying, at the same time, that nothing less than 
a compliance with their demand, would obtain their 
acquiescence in his pretensions. 

The occasion, and intent, and invalidity of the 
first of these cavils we have formerly considered 6 ." 
(c He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the 



c Lecture X. 



506 



Lecture XX. 



devils he casteth out devils/' We endeavoured 
to shew the reality of possessions, and the reality 
of that class of our Lord's miracles. We con- 
sidered at the same time his refutation of the cavil 
of the Pharisees, and the meaning and justice of 
the other and only tenable inference from those 
miracles, "If I by the finger of God cast out 
demons, no doubt the kingdom of God is come 
upon you/' That remark was followed by the 
solemn declaration respecting the blasphemy 
against the Holy Spirit*, some brief notice of 
which is required by the subject of our present 
Lecture. 

I. " Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of 
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, 
but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall 
not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever 
speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall 
be forgiven him ; but whosoever speaketh against 
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, 
neither in this world, neither in the world to 
come ;" or as St. Mark records it, " hath never 
forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damna- 
tion \" 

I almost fear to enter on a subject at once 
so awful and difficult as this, more particularly as 



a Matt. xii. 31, &c. Mark iii. 28, &c. b _ Mark iii. 30. 



Lecture XX. 



50? 



I shall be unable to enter on an enlarged dis- 
cussion respecting it, because several other topics 
must be adverted to in this concluding Lecture. 
Three questions, however, obviously suggest 
themselves ; first, Whether those, whom our Lord 
addressed, were then guilty of this irremissible 
sin ; secondly, What reference his declaration had 
to the period which follozoed his personal minis- 
try ; and thirdly, Whether we are liable to incur 
the guilt by him stated to be unpardonable. 

1. With respect to the first of these questions 
it may be observed, that many suppose that the 
Pharisees were at the time guilty of this sin, and 
also contend that it was almost peculiar to them. 
They ground this supposition on the connexion 
of this declaration with the cavil of the Pha- 
risees* } — on the words ascribed by St. Matthew 
to our Lord himself, that he "cast out demons 
by the Spirit of God A ;" — and on the remark 
immediately subjoined by St. Mark, after he has 
repeated the denunciation itself, "Because they 
said, He hath an unclean Spirit V But this 
observation of St. Mark seems more properly 
referable to the whole answer of our Lord to the 
cavil of the Pharisees, than to the last clause of it 
only. And with regard to the expression, " If 
I cast out demons by the Spirit of God/' it may 



c Matt. xii. 24—31. 



d Matt. xii. 28. 



c Mark iii. 30. 



508 



Lecture XX. 



be observed that from the absence of the article 
in the original, it cannot with certainty be 
understood of the Holy Spirit as personally re- 
ferred to, but that it would with more probability 
be rendered, cc If I cast out demons by divine co- 
operation ;" a translation which is rendered still 
more probable by the parallel expression of 
St. Luke, f 'If I by the Jinger of God cast out 
demons V And certainly when our Lord speaks 
of his miracles, he seems to ascribe them to the 
Father, rather than to the Holy Spirit. "My 
Father which dwelleth in me, he doeth the 
works \" 

But the question still recurs, whether it does 
not follow, from considering the occasion on which 
these words were spoken, that our Lord meant 
to imply that the Pharisees had incurred this 
extremity of guilt I must confess, though I do 
it with diffidence, that I conceive that he is not so 
to be understood. This was the very first cavil 
which had been advanced against the evidences 
of his mission ; and it was probably on the second 
occasion on which it was brought forward, that 
our Lord entered upon these statements respecting 
it. But it should be remembered that the words 
will equally bear to be understood, as if spoken 

a Ei he eyto kv trvevfxaTi Oeov €K/3d\\w rd haifxovia, — Matt, 
xii. 28. — Et he ev hanTv\w Oeov, k. t. A. 
b John xiv. 10, 



Lecture XX. 



509 



only by way of caution. Such a caution was 
needful ; because, in consequence of the same 
disposition which induced them then to circulate 
such an insinuation, they would be likely both to 
remain in the same obduracy with regard to the 
evidence afforded during his personal ministry, 
and also to reject the future and still greater 
demonstration of his resurrection, and of the gifts 
of the Holy Ghost. We know that in several 
forms, and on many occasions, he spoke of the 
evidence of his mission as not yet actually com- 
pleted. He specified the time which followed 
<c the lifting up of the Son of man/' as being that 
in which they te should know that he was the 
Messiah and he told them that then, cc if they 
believed not, they would die in their sins/' Hence, 
although their cavil was not directed personally 
against the Son of man, so much as against the 
evidences of his authority, yet it seems probable 
that it did not amount to the "blasphemy against 
the Holy Ghost. " 

2. Again, our Lord evidently spoke of the 
blasphemy as directed personally against the Holy 
Ghost c . Yet the personal operations, and, as it 
were, the distinct dispensation of the Holy Ghost, 



c 'H Ze tov TrvevfxaTos fiXaa-tyrjfxla — Matt. xii. 31. o? B' aV 

eV-TTJ? KttTO TOV TTVeVfJLCtTOS TOV (ZJIOV. Vd". 32. TM St eh TO 

ttyiou TTvevfxa (3ha(T(pr]fxt](TavTt. — 'Luke xii. 10. 



510 



Lecture XX. 



by his divers gifts and influences did not commence 
until after the ascension of our Lord\ We must 
therefore understand our Lord as speaking by 
anticipation of that future dispensation, and of 
the increased responsibility which it would bring,, 
and of the heinous guilt which they would incur, 
if, when more abundant proof was offered, their 
malignant and calumniating propensities should 
continue to gather strength, and confirm them in 
infidelity, instead of yielding to the force of that 
evidence which demanded their assent. The evi- 
dences of the Gospel would then be more nume- 
rous, more perceptible, and complete. To those 
which had already been exhibited, would be added 
many others. Of all these " the disciples would bear 
witness and " not they only, but also the Holy 
Spirit, which God would give to them that should 
obey Jesus." For as " the Advocate of Jesus/' 
and as cc the Spirit of truth/' he would ec testify of 
Jesus/' and " reprove the world of sin, because 
they believed not in him." — The principal and 
original causes of disbelief, both at the time at 
which our Lord spoke, and afterwards, were vir- 
tually the same. But some of those, who remained 



a The Holy Spirit was not yet (given), because Jesus was not 
yet glorified. John vii. 39. The word given is supplementary, 
and somewhat obscures the sense of the passage. OuVw yap y\v 
wvevfxa aytov, on, k. t. A. — Compare Acts xix. 2. 



Lecture XX. 



under the unhappy influence of such delusive 
views during the time of Christ's humiliation, 
might see reason to abandon them, when after 
Christ's entrance on his glory, the Holy Spirit 
was poured out. And probably many of them 
actually did repent, and were converted, and be- 
lieved, and joined the company of primitive 
believers ; even though, perhaps, a still greater 
number still iC mocked, and contradicted, and 
blasphemed b ." 

These considerations seem to render it most 
probable, that the declaration of our Lord respect- 
ing " the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" was 
not immediately, much less exclusively, applicable 
to those whom he then addressed. It seems rather 
to have been intended as a timely caution to those, 
who had already begun, not only to resist, but to 
cavil at the evidence which was furnished ; inti- 
mating to them the danger in which they would 
be involved at a future period, if they persevered 
in their malignity. 

The words of our text afford a very strong 
confirmation of this opinion. The same declara- 
tion respecting this unpardonable blasphemy is 
there found in a connexion wholly different. 
I have adopted this passage as my text in order 
to give the greater prominence to it ; because 



b Acts ii. 13 ; xiii. 45, 



512 



Lecture XX. 



I am not aware that it is generally attended to 
in inquiries upon this subject. The context 
seems distinctly to shew, that this important 
statement of our Lord had a prospective refe- 
rence to the time when the Gospel was published 
by the Apostles, that is, after the evidences, as 
well as the great transactions of the Gospel, had 
been completed, and that salvation, "which first 
began to be spoken by the Lord, was confirmed 
to mankind by them that heard him, God also 
bearing them witness, both with signs and 
wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the 
Holy Ghost/' The last of these divine attesta- 
tions, which was a distinct and most convincing 
species of evidence, our Saviour specially notices 
in the words which follow our text. The discourse 
in which they occur was certainly delivered subse- 
quently to the occasion, which at first called forth 
this denunciation of our Lord. But it was deli- 
vered, though in the presence of the multitude, 
only to his disciples ; and with reference to their 
future ministrations and sufferings, in promul- 
gating the Gospel. For he first exhorted his 
disciples to cc beware of the leaven of the Phari- 
sees, which is hypocrisy," having directed them 
cc to proclaim upon the house-tops even all that 
he had spoken to them in private," he states that 
they ought not to (c fear man, but God, who could 
both kill and cast into hell ?' and he also assures 



Lecture XX. 



513 



them of the protection of God's providence. He 
then adds ; " Also I say unto you, whosoever 
shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of 
man also confess before the angels of God; but 
he that denieth me before men shall be denied 
before the angels of God. And whosoever shall 
speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be for- 
given him; but unto him that blasphemeth against 
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. And 
when they bring you unto the synagogues, and 
unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought 
how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye 
shall say ; for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in 
the same hour what ye ought to say/' — To 
the Apostles were given ff a mouth and wisdom, 
which all their adversaries were not able to 
gainsay nor resist V To " one also was given 
by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another the 
word of knowledge by the same Spirit ; to ano- 
ther faith by the same Spirit ; to another the gifts 
of healing by the same Spirit; to another the 
working of miracles ; to another prophecy ; to 
another discerning of spirits ; to another divers 
kinds of tongues ; to another the interpretation 
of tongues 6 ." In that day the Gospel came unto 
mankind, c( not in word only^ but in power^ and 
in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance V 



a Luke xxi. 15. b 1 Cor. xu. 8—10. c 1 Thess. i. 5. 
K K 



514 



Lecture XX. 



Its designs were accomplished, its offers universal, 
and its evidence complete ; and it was accom- 
panied with " demonstration of the Spirit, and 
of power V The offence of the cross had not 
ceased ; but it was no longer that which perplexed 
the understanding, but which was contrary to the 
prejudices of mankind, and to the pride and de- 
pravity of their hearts. To all that heard it, 
it brought either the means of salvation, or the 
increase of condemnation. 

Yet final negligence, and final impenitence, 
though undoubtedly they also end in condemna- 
tion, are not the same thing with ec the blasphemy 
against the Holy Spirit j" the grand characteristic 
of which is, that it shuts out from the hope of for- 
giveness. And if that be the consequence of this 
guilt, and of this g-uilt only, as our Lord expressly 
declares, we shall find several other descriptions 
of it in the writings of the Apostles, though it is 
there considered in a somewhat different point of 
view. And perhaps we may state, that nothing 
amounts to this most awful, and only irremissible 
sin, but a wilful, malignant, open, and determined 
opposition to those truths, of which we have per- 
ceived the evidence, and of the divine origin of 
which we have in our consciences been convinced. 
Yet it should seem that such was the conduct, in the 



a 1 Cor. li. 5. 



Lecture XX. 



Apostolic times, not only of many of those who 
never embraced the Gospel, but even of some who 
had received and understood it, and yet apos- 
tatized from it; who, by their wilful, deliberate, 
and malignant renunciation and opposition, com- 
mitted that cc sin which is unto death," and of 
which St. John declared that ff he did not say 
that they should pray for it for, in fact, it invol- 
ved the impossibility of repentance, as well as of 
pardon h . "For/' says St. Paul to the Hebrews, 
" it is impossible for those who were once enlight- 
ened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and 
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have 
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of 
the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew 
them again to repentance ; seeing they crucify to 
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to 
an open shame V And again; c< If we sin wil- 
fully, after that we have received the knowledge 
of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice 
for sins." And he more fully describes the trans- 
gression of this voluntary offender, by stating, 
that he is one " who hath trodden underfoot the 
Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the cove- 
nant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, 
and hath done despite unto the Spirit ofgrace d ." 



b 1 Johu v. 16, 17. c Heb. vi. 4—6. 

d Heb. x. 26— 39. 'Ekouo-iw? jap dim pravovnov rjflfov, k. t. A. 
K K 2 



516 



Lecture XX. 



3. It is evident from these descriptions, that 
no one, who retains the profession of Christianity, 
can be supposed to be included in any of these 
denunciations. Indeed they are not applicable to 
any but those, who, from malignity of heart, 
reject or apostatize from the Gospel, and who 
endanger the comfort and stability of others by 
an open, active, acrimonious cavilling against its 
evidences and doctrines. And as wilful apostacy 
and opposition, arising from depravity of heart, 
alone produces the full measure of guilt, none 
but they who have the gift of <c discerning of 
spirits/' can be authorized to ascribe this guilt 
to any of their fellow-sinners. We cannot now 
incur it by opposition to sensible and present 
miracles. Yet what the evidence of the Gospel 
now wants in that respect, is perhaps abundantly 
counterbalanced by many circumstances, which, 
since the Apostolic times, have augmented, and 
strengthened, and made still more satisfactory, 
the arguments in behalf of the Gospel. We 
therefore cannot deny the possibility of the crime, 
even in our own circumstances; but we must 
rather dread its approaches in ourselves, than 
venture to impute it to others. And as it is a 
crime which is brought into full operation by 
actually leading, not only to suppressed infidelity, 
but to open revilings directed against the Gospel, 
we shall^ at leasts do well in -suffering the caution ^ 



Lecture XX. 



517 



which our Lord subjoined to this denunciation, 
to work its full effect upon that cc unruly member 
the tongue" and upon that corrupt fountain the 
heart, " out of the abundance of which the tongue 
speaks/' te Either make the tree good, and his 
fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt, and 
his fruit corrupt ; for the tree is known by his 
fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being 
evil, speak good things ? for out of the abundance 
of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man 
out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth 
forth good things, and an evil man out of the 
evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But 
I say unto you, that every idle word that men 
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the 
day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be 
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be con- 
demned." 

II. I observed that a second cavil was also 
advanced against the sufficiency of the proofs, by 
which the mission of Jesus was supported, in the 
demand of a particular species of evidence which 
the Jews chose to require. One of the occasions 
upon which it was advanced, was after our Lord 
had refuted the former one. <c Then certain of 
the Scribes and Pharisees, answered, saying, 
Master, we would see a sign from thee." This 
demand was however made on several occasions ; 
and it is more fully expressed by St. Mark, when 



518 



Lecture XX. 



he mentions the repetition of it after the feeding 
of the four thousand. cc The Pharisees came 
forth, and began to question with him, seeking of 
him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he 
sighed deeply in his Spirit, and saith, Why doth 
this generation seek after a sign ? There shall no 
sign be given to this generation V No sign, 
such as they required, would be exhibited to 
them. For alas ! they knew as little what they 
asked, as do those who, in playful but thoughtless 
depravity, invoke c damnation on their souls.' 
They referred to the sign of " the Son of man 
coming in the clouds of heaven/' of which Daniel 
had spoken. But, as our Saviour observed with 
reference to the same prophecy, cc When the Son 
of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy 
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne 
of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all 
nations, and he shall separate them one from 
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from 
the goats ; and he shall set the sheep on his right 
hand, but the goats on his left. — And these shall 
go away into everlasting punishment, but the 
righteous into life eternal*" There was a time, 
however, when Jesus, avowing his Messiahship 
to the high priest, said with awful significancy, 



a Mark viii. 11, 12. 

b Matt. xxv. 31 — 46. Compare this with Dan. vii, 9 — 14. 



Lecture XX. 



519 



ff Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting; 
on the right hand of power, and coming- in the 
clouds of heaven c ." Yet, even after that decla- 
ration, they continued the same ct blasphemy 
against the Son of man," the same neglect, 
and even contempt of the various evidences which 
he had exhibited of his authority, and again spe- 
cified that particular evidence, which alone would 
induce them to abandon their unbelief. "He 
saved others, himself he cannot save. Let Christ, 
the king of Israel, descend now from the cross, 
that we may see and believe d ." Again, they knew 
not what they asked. Jesus came to destroy every 
enemy of man's salvation, by " triumphing over 
them on his cross/' To have complied with their 
demand, would have been to have left undone the 
work which he was then about to finish. Jesus 
made not any answer to them from the cross; 
for he knew that the glory, which would follow 
his sufferings, would be made known by his resur- 
rection from the dead, and that the gifts, which he 
would receive for men, would soon be poured down 
from on high. But on the former occasions, though 
unwittingly they had made a demand with which 
it was impossible to comply, he answered them 



c Matt. xxvi. 64. 

d Mark xv. QQ — 32. It is worthy of notice that this allows 
the miracles of Jesus, and that he had advanced a claim to be the 
Messiah. 



520 



Lecture XX. 



according' to their intention. For they meant 
to require another evidence, in addition to all that 
had previously been afforded. And although no 
such sign, as that to which they had alluded, 
would be given to that generation, another would 
be given, which he described under the phrase 
i the sign of the Prophet Jonas/' " For/' added 
our Lord in explanation, " as Jonas was three 
days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall 
the Son of man be three days and three nights in 
the heart of the earth a ." 

In what manner that prediction was fulfilled, 
it is unnecessary to repeat. But let it be observed 
that, in two different respects, the spirit of infi- 
delity ignorantly and erroneously objected to the 
sufficiency of the proofs that Jesus was what he 
claimed to be. — They hastily complained of the 
supposed deficiency, when a little patience would 
have furnished them with decisive evidence. It was 
not indeed of the precise kind which they demand- 
ed • but the question which they ought to have con- 
sidered was, whether it was not sufficient. — And 
again, they insisted on the want of such exhibitions 
of the power of Jesus as could not have been 
given consistently either with the intentions of 
God, or the good of mankind. Yet infidelity 
still continues to make similar objections and 



■ l Matt. xii. 39, &c. 



Lecture XX. 



demands. We must, however, take the evidence as 
we find it. It is such as God has seen fit to furnish, 
and it is sufficient to prove that Ci he has spoken 
by his Son." It is obvious even to our own limited 
discernment, that many of the demands of the 
infidel are unreasonable; they would probably 
appear still more so, if we were more fully ac- 
quainted with the scheme of the divine counsels. 
There are evidences of the truth of the Gospel 
still in reserve. And since we can even now give 
a sufficient reason of the ho^e that is in us, why 
should we be dissatisfied that the Gospel is yet 
incompletely promulgated, and that all the pro- 
phecies are not completed ? These are proofs 
reserved for the conviction of those of the latter 
days; and one day we shall all see " the sign 
of the Son of man coming in the clouds of 
heaven/' 

Our Lord took occasion from the allusion to 
Jonah the Prophet, to shew, by a beautiful and 
impressive contrast, the criminality of those who 
rejected his words. " The men of Nineveh shall 
rise in judgment with this generation, and shall 
condemn it ; because they repented at the 
preaching of Jonah; and behold a greater than 
Jonah is here. The queen of the south shall rise 
up in the judgment with this generation, and 
shall condemn it ; for she came from the uttermost 
part of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; 



522 



Lecture XX. 



and behold a greater than Solomon is here." Has 
he not been proved to be all that he claimed to 
be, by demonstration at once varied and con- 
vincing ? And "he that believeth on Jesus, be- 
lieved) on him that sent him/' And that heavenly 
Messenger himself has declared, " He that re- 
jecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one 
that judgeth him ; the word that I have spoken, 
the same shall judge him in the last day V Nay, 
he has even told us, and it ought to be seriously 
considered by all that have heard of his name, 
that " he that believeth not in him is condemned 
already, because he hath not believed in the name 
of the only-begotten Son of God/' who has been 
"lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life V " If he 
had not come and spoken to us, and done the 
works which no other man did, we had not had 
sin; but now have we no cloke for our sin c ." 
And though we have not seen him in the flesh, 
and have not heard him ourselves, we must 
not conceive that hereby we can be excused. 
For he declared to those, who were to record his 
instructions, and to disperse them through the 
world ; " He that despiseth you, despiseth me ; 
and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent 



* John xii. 44, &c. 
c John xv. 22 — 24. 



b John iii. 16—18. 



Lecture XX. 



523 



me d ." For Jesus was "that stone, which was laid 
in Zion for a foundation and " whosoever," said 
he again, Cf shall fall upon that stone shall be 
broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will 
grind him to powder V 

We must then believe, and obey. We must 
tc endure unto the end for it is even cc better, 
as the Apostle tells us, never to have known the 
way of righteousness, than, having known it, to 
turn away from the holy commandment delivered 
unto us." And not an Apostle only, but Jesus 
himself has given us the same admonition, in the 
concluding portion of that discourse, which was 
occasioned by the two cavils which we have 
noticed in this Lecture. He borrows from the 
case of the demoniacs, by his undoubted miracles 
upon whom they had not been convinced, a 
striking illustration of the fatal progress of infi- 
delity. cc When the unclean spirit is gone out of 
a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, 
and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return 
into my house, from whence I came out; and 
when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and 
garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with him- 
self seven other spirits more wicked than himself, 
and they enter in and dwell there ; and the last 



d Luke x. 16". 



• Isai. xxviii. l6\ Mutt. xxi. 42 — 44. 



524 



Lecture XX. 



state of that mail is worse than the first. Even so 
shall it be also unto this wicked generation V 

It concerns us, who, though Gentiles, have 
become <c fellow-heirs, and of the same body, with 
the chosen people of God, and partakers of his 
promise in Christ by the Gospel," to take heed 
lest we also cc frustrate the grace of God," — lest 
we (c draw back unto perdition, — lest we do not 
believe to the saving of the soul." For shall any- 
thing, but our unbelief, ' f separate us from the love 
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?" 
Remember, then, that the Gospel gives us the 
offer of pardon, and the promise of sanctification. 
It is <c the new covenant established upon better 
promises. It comes to us with sanctions of pro- 
mise and of threatening. It comes recommended 
and enforced by numerous evidences, which appeal 
both to the understanding and to the heart, and 
which have brought conviction to the minds both 
of the learned, and of the unlearned. 

Do you delight to peruse the histories of 
past ages? Are you interested and edified by 
tracing events up to their causes, and by pursuing 



a 2 Pet. ii. 20—22. Matt. xii. 43— 45.— -These two passages 
illustrate each other. And we might, from this parabolic des- 
cription given by our Lord of the progress of the infidelity of the 
Jews, deduce an additional argument in support of the opinion 
defended in the former part of this Lecture, that our Lord spoke 
of the unpardonable blasphemy by way of anticipation. 



Lecture XX. 



525 



the order in which they produced their conse- 
quences ? — Consider then the existence, the 
operation, and the effects of Christianity. As 
inquisitive men, as Scholars, as Philosophers, as 
Christians, examine this remarkable era in the 
history of the human intellect, — this event which 
was prepared by all preceding ones, — which has 
since so materially influenced the opinions and 
the civilization of the world, — which predicts the 
future universality of its own propagation. Come 
to some decision respecting these things, which are 
important with regard to the faith and guidance of 
your fellow-men, and still more so as they concern 
yourselves. — While you investigate the laws and 
phenomena of the material world, forget not that 
there is a spiritual world, hereafter to be revealed, 
and that we are the destined heirs of an immor- 
tality, which will be happy, or miserable, according 
to our characters here. And remember, that for 
the knowledge which is requisite in this matter, 
you can go to none but to Christ Jesus; for 
et he alone hath the words of eternal life." 

Remember, that while many are doubting, and 
investigating, and deriving from human learn- 
ing almost as much hindrance as assistance, 
many a poor and unlettered peasant in our own 
land, many an uncivilized heathen in foreign lands, 
is laying hold on eternal life ; and finds in the 
purifying and consolatory tendency of the Gospel 



526 



Lecture XX. 



the most satisfactory evidence both of its truth 
and utility. For he finds it a provision for all the 
wants which he previously felt. And if it dis- 
covers to him more extensive views of his own 
guilt and danger, and of the perfections and re- 
quirements of God, it does but discover that, of 
which he allows the justice and the propriety. 
And in proportion as he is thereby more humbled 
before his God, he also derives more abundant 
consolation from his word, and exercises a more 
confirmed confidence in his promises. And thus, 
being made perfect in love, and growing in grace 
and holiness, he waits for the hope of righteous- 
ness by faith. 

The same meetness for heaven is attainable 
by all, and is necessary for all. But we must 
"give earnest heed to the things which we hear/' 
if we are to " live and grow thereby." The same 
arguments which have convinced so many of the 
truth and of the importance of our religion, are 
still sufficient to satisfy us. And w r e must be 
content to receive the Gospel as it is offered to 
us, neither dissatisfied because of the absence of 
any evidence which we may suppose ought to 
have been furnished, nor objecting to the doctrines 
which are revealed by it. Our Lord referred 
the Jews to the witness of their own Scriptures ; 
but he declared that <f if they heard not Moses 
and the prophets, neither would they be persuaded 



Lecture XX. 



527 



though one rose from the dead 3 ." He declared 
that, while some cavilled at the character in which 
the Baptist appeared, and others at his own, 
et wisdom would be justified of all her children b ." 
And assuredly, though cc the Jews required a sign, 
and the Greeks sought after wisdom," we can 
shew that each of those demands was unreason- 
able, if they were made in any view which disposed 
them to a rejection of the Gospel. For it is most 
abundantly demonstrable, that cc Christ crucified 
is both the powei* of God, and the wisdom of 
God \" 

But if we allow the evidence, and value, and 
necessity of the Gospel, let us not remain in 
ignorance of what is thereby revealed. We not 
unfrequently meet with some, even in a Christian 
country, who have had such opportunities, and 
have arrived at such an age, that, ec for the time, 
they ought to be teachers; yet who have need 
to be taught again, which be the first principles 
of the oracles of God d ." That ignorance is some- 
times openly avowed; and those who make the 
avowal sometimes even appear to be proud of it. 
Yet a young Athenian would have been ashamed 
to be thought so ignorant with respect to the 
philosophical systems of his age and city. Nay, 



a Luke xvi. 31. 
d Heb. v. 12. 



b Matt. xi. 19. 



c 1 Cor. i. '24. 



528 



Lecture XX. 



would not many among ourselves be ashamed to 
be thought ignorant of the laws, and literature, 
and science of our own country, who are yet 
negligent of the doctrine, and precepts of Jesus? 
Yet there is a more important knowledge than 
any that relates to terrestrial objects ; there is a 
teacher more divine, and of more authority than 
any that we can "call Master upon earth V* 
He calls upon us to hear, and to believe in him ; 
to repent, and follow him. He declares to us the 
authority with which he is invested, and the re- 
sponsibility which rests upon ourselves. — " All 
power is given to me in heaven and in earth. 
Go ye, therefore, and preach the Gospel to evert/ 
creature. — He that believeth and is baptized shall 
be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.'' 9 
We have to conjure you, therefore, by the 
dignity of him, whom the Father sanctified, and 
sent into the world, — by the miracles which he 
wrought, — by the prophecies which he fulfilled, — 
by the greatness of the salvation which he pur- 
chased, — by the promises, and by the terrors of the 
Lord, — by the shortness of life, and the approaches 
of death, — by the realities of eternity, and the 
inestimable value of your immortal souls — that 
you " turn not away from him that speaketh from 
heaven. " — If we have at all increased your ad- 



* Matt, xxiii. 10. 



Lecture XX. 



529 



miration of the beauty and comprehensiveness 
of the word of God, from whence we have drawn, 
and ever shall draw, our arguments and repre- 
sentations, — if we have disposed you to peruse it 
more frequently and attentively,— if we have been 
able to strengthen your conviction of its truth, 
to impress you with a sense of its importance, and 
to persuade you to a compliance with its dictates 
— our labours will not have been in vain. And 
if those, who are able, will defend the Gospel 
against its adversaries, and turn to righteousness 
those that profess it, — and if all ( that profess and 
call themselves Christians,' will adorn the doctrine 
of God their Saviour by a sober, righteous, and 
godly life, "endeavouring to keep the unity of 
the Spirit in the bond of peace/' — then will our 
heavenly Father be glorified. Our Saviour will 
then "see of the travail of his soul, and be satis- 
fied — and we shall one day be " with him, and 
behold his glory/' 



ERRATA. 



P. 79' 1. 9. for the text read tfAw passage, 

80. 1. 7- for text read festf. 

99« !• 17* f° r hm* rea d we 

292. 1. 3. for Am read that he. 

1.21. for untraced read embraced, 

372. 1. 5. for £o read ow. 



/ 




82 




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